Caring Hearts
by Silver1
Summary: The final story arc in the Crystal Digimon Saga. A tragic loss for Kari sets her on a path of self-doubt and lonliness. She will need the love and support of her friends in order to overcome her sadness and save the Digital World.
1. Tragedy

Caring Hearts

Caring Hearts

Chapter 1: Tragedy

by Silver

*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, its characters, or its creatures. Because of this, I feel a terrible void in my life. (Not really!)*

Author's Note: Wow, the last story arc in the Crystal Digimon Saga. This is the arc that reveals it all story, folks, and it focuses on Kari. A warning to everyone right now, Kari's going to go through some pretty hard times in this story. It might be depressing, but I always deliver a happy ending, so no worries. 

I'll be featuring Paildramon again. So, to keep the negative reviews down, let me clarify one thing. I changed the rules in "Walkabout." XVmon digivolves directly to Paildramon in this story line, no DNA digivolving. I did this before DNA/Jogress digivolving was common knowledge, and I can't go back and redo the whole saga. Besides, it's author's preference, right? I also changed his attack from Desperado Blaster to Dramon Blaster. And now, on with the story!

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Kari Kamiya sighed as she walked towards her school. She was lost in thought about the events of the last few weeks. It had been only two days since Avatar had possessed Patamon and caused a huge fight with the Digidestined. All of the children were thankful that Magnamon had been able to save Patamon and that Shinmon had destroyed Avatar. 

Primary Village was recovering from the Anti-Digidestined faction's attack, and many of the faction members had volunteered to repair the damage that they had caused. It seemed that the fragile peace of the Digital World had been restored with Avatar's demise. Chibomon and Tokomon had also recovered from their ordeals and digivolved back into Demiveemon and Patamon. Davis and TK's wounds had healed, and life was back to normal. However, Kari had two lingering regrets from that battle.

The first one was sympathy for Avatar, the lost soul of Digimon babies who had been killed by the Dark Masters. He had been so sad and so hateful because of the unfair losses he had suffered. Kari could understand how Avatar must have suffered, but she also knew there wasn't anything she could have done.

The other regret was much more personal. During the last fight, Avatar, in possession of MagnaAngemon's body, had attempted to kidnap Kari and take her to his unknown master. Kari had cried for help from TK and Davis, but had been unable to do anything herself. In fact, that was how things usually went for her. That battle had forced Kari to remember her life as a Digidestined, and all the times she had needed someone to save her. All the Digidestined had fought to keep her safe from Myotismon, and Wizardmon had lost his life protecting her. Kari still felt a pang of guilt over that loss. Then, Kari had been sick in the Digital World, and Tai had nearly lost his mind with worry. Davis had had to save her from Monochromon and Kimeramon and ExPiedmon. TK had saved her from Piedmon and the dark ocean. Yolei and Cody had both bailed her out of danger as well. It seemed as if no matter how hard Kari tried to be strong, she always ended up relying on someone else to save her. _When did I end up being the damsel in distress? _Kari hated being that kind of a stereotype. 

_But what can I do about it?_ Kari reached her school and looked out over the playground. She instantly spotted all her friends. Yolei was talking with some cute boys near the entrance, probably using her computer knowledge to impress them. TK and Davis had organized a soccer game with the younger kids, including Cody. 

Kari sighed again. All her friends had changed so much in such a short time. It wasn't obvious at first, but the changes were definitely noticeable. TK had become less distant from the newer Digidestined. At one time, he had stayed aloof with Kari, but now he had grown closer to all of them. Cody's stern demeanor had lifted slightly. He no longer worried about following the rules completely, and was beginning to develop his own opinions rather than relying on his grandfather's word. Yolei had become much stronger. She wasn't afraid of letting the team down or freezing up in battle anymore. She had left her self-doubt behind. 

Ken had changed as well, even though he had decided not to have Wormmon crystal digivolve. Ken had grown closer to the group and seemed to want to become friends now. He was on a first-name basis with Yolei and Davis. Kari knew it would only be a matter of time until he became a full-time member of the group.

And as for Davis, well, miracles did happen. Davis had changed from the hotheaded, stubborn boy who was always trying to prove himself. He had become a strong leader and he had become the heart of the team. Davis had been the person to set these changes in motion with his walkabout, and everyone had benefited from the experience. Everyone except Kari. _Everyone else has changed so much, as if they digivolved themselves. What about me? I haven't changed at all._

Maybe Kari couldn't change unless she forced herself to. Maybe it was time she took matters into her own hands. _If I can't become stronger, then I'm only holding the team back. I don't want to do that_. Kari nodded and entered the playground. She was instantly aware of eyes falling upon her. Kari knew that Davis wasn't the only boy with a crush on her, he was just the most obvious. But Kari didn't want to be with any boys right now. She wanted to give being a Digidestined her full effort. 

Kari marched right up to Davis, who was cheering for Cody and the younger kids. "Davis?" The spiky-haired youth jumped a foot and spun around.

"Oh! Uh… Kari, you didn't surprise me." Kari smiled, she couldn't expect Davis to be completely perfect.

"Sorry I startled you. Davis, can I ask a favor?"

Davis' face changed to a slight shade of red. "A-a favor?"

Kari nodded, "I'd like to borrow the Digivolution Crystal." 

Davis' blush vanished. "The Crystal? What for?"

Kari replied, "I'd like to see if I can get Gatomon to crystal digivolve." 

Davis was hesitant. "I dunno. Gennai said we should only use the Crystal as a last resort. It's pretty dangerous."

Kari batted her eyes, "Please, Davis? For me?" She knew it wasn't right to play on Davis' crush, but this was important to her. All the others had grown stronger and that had helped their Digimon crystal digivolve. Kari figured that if she could at least hang on to the Crystal for a while, she might become stronger as well. "Davis, I promise I won't use it unless we absolutely have to. It's just that I want to try for a crystal digivolution if the need arises."

Davis, whose face was once again turning red, nodded hesitantly. "O-okay. But only if it's absolutely necessary, alright?"

Kari nodded, "I promise." Davis slid the Crystal off from around his neck and handed it to Kari. Kari smiled, "Thanks, Davis. You're the best." 

Davis beamed, "The best? Really? Me?"

Kari was about the answer when the bell rang. "Oops, better get going. See you later, Davis." She spun around and ran inside, leaving Davis standing slack-jawed.

********

Kari admired the beauty of the Digivolution Crystal as she walked home. Several girls had complimented her on the new accessory, but Kari didn't really think much about it. Fashion had never been high on her priority list. She wore what she thought she looked good in. Mimi might disagree, but Kari only saw makeup and fashion as a cover for who people really were. All that makeup that girls wore just was more of a mask than an accessory. They Crystal was beautiful, but the fact that Kari wore it didn't make her beautiful as well. Kari believed that beauty, true beauty, came from within. She had always looked up to Sora and Mimi, because they were such good people. They were beautiful on the inside and the outside as well. Yolei was the same. She wasn't as subtle as the other girls, but she was a kind person at heart.

Kari had felt a nagging anticipation all day as she wore the Crystal. She couldn't wait to see what kind of Digimon Gatomon would crystal digivolve into. Kari hadn't had as many experiences with Gatomon as Tai and the others had had with their Digimon. She wanted to have a special experience, to reach a new level of digivolving together. _This will be great_. She smiled. _I know I can do this_.

Kari reached her apartment and entered her home. Her brother was sitting on the sofa, watching TV in his usual lazy position. "Hi, Tai." Tai gave an unintelligible grunt in reply. "Look what I have." She dangled the Crystal in front of Tai's face.

Tai was instantly awake, "Davis gave that to you? Why?"

Kari smiled, "I asked if I could borrow it."

Tai frowned, "Kari, I'm not sure you should play around with that."

Kari's expression soured, "I'm not playing with it. I just want to see if Gatomon can Crystal Digivolve."

A sound came from Kari's backpack, "I'd digivolve into anything if it would get me outta here!" Kari took off her backpack and let Gatomon out. "Can't I just ride on your head like Demiveemon or Patamon?"

Kari smiled, "We tried that once, remember? You're claws hurt." Gatomon flushed slightly. 

Just then, Kari's D3 began to beep. Kari took it out and looked at the small screen. It was flashing with a digicode distress signal. Kari frowned as she read the sender's ID. "Tai, it's Greymon! Greymon's calling for help!"

Tai frowned, "Greymon?" He took out his digivice. It wasn't blinking at all. "Are you sure?"

Kari nodded, "Yes, I'm positive." She showed Tai her D3. The signal was indeed coming from Greymon.

Tai said, "Let's get back to the school computer lab. This might be a trap, so we should have as much help as possible. Let's contact the others."

********

Kari and Tai ran back to Kari's school as fast as their legs would carry them. Up ahead, Davis stood there waiting impatiently. Kari said, "Thanks for coming so fast, Davis."

Davis' face was a little red. "Hey, you know me, always ready to help out."

Tai arched an eyebrow. "And the fact that your soccer team just ended practice ten minutes ago doesn't have anything to do with your timing, right?"

Davis' expression fell. "Oh yeah, that too." He leaned in at Tai and whispered, "Thanks for nothing."

Tai grinned, "Honesty is the best policy."

Davis retorted, "Is that what you use with Sora?"

Now Tai's expression fell. "I liked you more before your walkabout." He crossed his arms and huffed. Kari giggled. TK and the others arrived two minutes later and they all went inside.

Yolei sat down at the computer and called up the digital communicator. A section of the Digital World map was flashing red. Yolei said, "This is where the signal is coming from, but it's very far away from the area that Agumon's protecting."

Tai frowned, "Why would he go so far away from his area? It's not like him."

A new window appeared on the screen. "Tai!" Agumon's face appeared on screen.

Tai rushed to the screen and bumped Yolei aside. "Agumon! Are you okay?"

Agumon nodded, "I'm fine, Tai, never better!" Everyone gathered around Tai.

Tai let out a breath. "Good. I was worried. When I got your distress signal-"

Agumon cut in, "But, Tai, that's what I called to tell you. I'm not the one who sent the distress signal. Someone else sent it."

TK blinked, "Another Greymon?"

Cody's eyes narrowed, "It's probably a trap." 

Yolei said, "We should still check it out. Maybe it's this 'master' guy that Avatar was talking about."

Davis frowned, "But what if it is a trap?"

Kari remained silent. Another Greymon? Someone different from Agumon? Could it be..? Kari pulled out her D3. "I'm going in." She move past Tai. "Digiport open!" 

"Kari, wait!" Tai reached out to stop his sister, but the computer swallowed her in. 

TK and Davis were right behind her. "Wait for us!" They followed into the computer. Tai, Yolei, and Cody followed directly after them.

********

Kari ran full speed down a forest path toward the source of the distress signal. Gatomon was right behind her. "Kari, what's going on? Why are you running so fast? Kari, are you listening to me?"

Kari only half-heard her partner. Her mind kept flashing back to a time when she was only about four or five years old. She couldn't remember everything, but she did remember the egg. The digiegg that had come out of her computer, and hatched into a Botamon. That Botamon had become a Koramon, and from there a huge Agumon. And finally, Greymon had appeared before her. She'd always wondered what had happened to that Greymon. What had happened to her first Digimon friend? What if it was the older Greymon that was calling for help? _Greymon, I'm coming!_ Kari ran even faster.

"Kari!" Raidramon came running up beside her with Davis and Tai on his back. Tai growled, "Kari, what are you doing? Don't rush into this!"

Kari panted, "But, Tai, what if it's Greymon?"

Davis replied, "We already talked with Agumon, he's safe."

Kari shook her head, "Not Agumon, I'm talking about Greymon!"

Davis frowned, "Isn't Agumon Greymon?"

Kari said, "No, the _other_ Greymon!"

Tai's eyes widened, "_That _Greymon?"

Davis remained ignorant, "What Greymon?"

Tai said, "Our Greymon."

"Your Greymon? You mean Agumon?"

"No! Greymon, the first Greymon."

Davis frowned, "How many Greymon do you have?"

Tai rolled his eyes, "Just shut up and drive. I'll explain later." 

Davis nodded and looked forward. He mumbled, "Tai's lost it."

"I heard that!" Davis gave a slight "eep" in response. Pegasusmon, Halsemon, and Digmon came up behind the others. They all ran towards a clearing, where the signal seemed to emanate from. Kari went into a final sprit. She realized that she could have arrived faster if she had had Gatomon armor digivolve, but she was too worried about Greymon to think strait. 

Kari's feet and heart stopped dead when she entered the clearing. A Greymon, slightly larger than Tai's Greymon, stood before her. It was wrapped in chains that seemed to spring from the ground itself. The chains covered his legs, arms, and wrapped around his mouth to prevent a Nova Blast attack. The Greymon thrashed and growled, but couldn't break free. 

Kari ran forward, "Greymon!" The Digimon looked down, and its eyes widened. Kari saw the look. _He recognizes me_. Kari looked at the others. "We have to cut him loose!"

Halsemon reverted back to Hawkmon. "Leave that to Digmon and I."

Yolei took out her d-terminal. "Digiarmor energize!" 

"Hawkmon digivolve to… Shurimon: The Samurai of Sincerity!" Shurimon and Digmon stepped forward to cut Greymon free.

"Welcome, Digidestined." A deep, resonating voice boomed out. A pool of darkness spread out directly in front of the Digidestined, and a pair of huge bat-like wings emerged. A figure appeared shortly after the wings. It was a large Digimon, about the size of WarGreymon. His blue body was thick and muscular. Red-black fur covered him down to his hands and knees, leaving only his chest bare. Where the fur cut off, spikes, almost like teeth, jutted outward. His head was small and rectangular with a long mane of black hair hanging down. His eyes were a deep, cold blue that chilled Kari to the bone. Two horns curved upward from his forehead. 

Davis and the others ran up beside Shurimon and Digmon. Raidramon had transformed back into Veemon. "Who are you?"

The Digimon chuckled, causing Kari to shudder. "I am Demon. The new lord of the Digital World. It has been a long time, but I see that you Digidestined have added new members to your ranks."

TK frowned, "You… know us?"

Demon smiled, "All will be revealed, in time. But for now, child of hope, child of light," he held out one clawed hand, "come with me. I have need of your services." 

TK stepped in front of Kari. "We'll never go with you, monster. I know what you are, you're a Dark Digimon."

Demon smiled, "Indeed I am, but I am not requesting your help, I demand your obedience!" He held out an arm, which lengthened to twice its length and dove in at TK and Kari.

Pegasusmon dove in front of TK. "Watch out!" The claw slammed into Pegasusmon and knocked him to the ground. Pegasusmon reverted back to Patamon.

"Veemon," Davis growled, "Let's teach this guy a lesson."

"Right! Veemon digivolve to… XVmon!" Davis took out his d-terminal and activated the Ultimate function. "XVmon digivolve to… Paildramon!" 

TK looked at Patamon, "Can you hang in there?"

Patamon nodded, "You bet! Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!" The Angel Digimon took place beside Paildramon.

Tai looked at Yolei and Cody, "Shurimon and Digmon should focus on freeing Greymon."

Yolei nodded, "You heard the man, Shurimon!"

"Go to it, Digmon!" The two Armor Digimon nodded and ran forward. Demon paid them no heed.

Demon waved Paildramon and Angemon forward, "Come then. Show me your power." Paildramon and Angemon rushed him.

Paildramon lashed out with his fist while Angemon used his Angel Staff. Demon blurred out of sight and their blows swung through the air. "Where'd he go?"

"Behind you." Paildramon and Angemon turned around just in time to see Demon open his mouth. "Chaos Fire!" Flames spewed from his jaws and engulfed the two Digimon. The flames burned them, but Paildramon and Angemon flew up and out of the inferno.

Paildramon was the first to fight his way past the flames. "Dramon Blasters!" His energy cannons fired a barrage of power at Demon.

Angemon followed closely, "Hand of Fate!" The two attacks merged and struck Demon head-on. "We nailed him!" Angemon smiled.

"All right!" Paildramon punched his fist in the air.

Another chilling laugh came from the smoke. "Ho, ho. Is that all you can do?" Demon didn't have a scratch on him. "You pathetic weaklings cannot defeat a Mega." 

Davis' face paled. "He's a Mega?"

Yolei groaned, "And I thought we had finished off all the evil Megas." 

Meanwhile, Shurimon and Digmon were doing all they could to free Greymon from the chains. "Double Star!" Shurimon cut through several chains.

"Gold Rush!" Digmon cut a group of chains from around Greymon's mouth. They as the number of chains decreased, Greymon began to thrash even more and succeeded in breaking even more chains. Digmon jumped aside as one of Greymon's legs broke free. "Hey! Easy there, big guy!" 

Greymon ignored Digmon's protests as he ripped free of the chains and thundered towards Demon. With an ear-splitting roar, Greymon took several swipes at Demon and then tried to bit down on the Mega's head. 

Demon chuckled, "So, a Champion wishes to face me? How bold. Chaos Fire!" Demon sent a column of flames at Greymon. Greymon counted with a Nova Blast, but Demon's attack overwhelmed the smaller fireball and exploded right at Greymon's feet. The large Digimon shrieked in pain and fell back.

"GREYMON!" Kari ran forward with Gatomon and Tai right behind her. Kari came right up to Greymon's head and placed her hands on his bony cap. "Greymon, please be okay!"

Greymon opened his eyes and growled. He slowly got to his feet and positioned himself directly between Kari and Demon. _He's protecting me_. After all this time, Greymon still remembered the little girl who rode piggyback on him down Heighten View Terrace. 

Demon, meanwhile, was finishing off the other Digimon. Shurimon and Digmon had joined in the fight. "Double Star!" Shurimon threw his largest shuriken. Demon batted the dart away with a blast of energy and flew in at Shurimon. He punched the Armor Digimon and sent him flying towards a nearby tree. Shurimon struck the tree dead center. He slumped to the ground and reverted back to an unconscious Hawkmon.

Digmon attacked next. "Gold Rush!" Demon dodged the barrage of drills.

"Hand of Fate!" Demon avoided Angemon's attack with ease.

"Chaos Fire!" Demon's inferno sent both Digimon to the ground and they reverted back to their rookie forms.

Paildramon was the last Digimon to attack. He decided for the close range attack and dove in with a flying kick. Demon dodged the kick, and with lightning quick speed he grabbed Paildramon by the ankle and yanked him toward the ground. Demon slammed Paildramon into the soil, then lifted him again and spun him around in a circle. Demon released Paildramon, who flew off and crash-landed against several trees. Paildramon reverted back to Demiveemon.

Demon sighed, "Such weaklings. What a disappointment." Greymon charged again with a loud roar. "And you're not even worth my time." Demon raised his hand and sent an invisible shockwave directly into Greymon. The Dinosaur Digimon went limp and fell on his side. 

Gatomon looked at her partner, "Kari, use the Crystal! I need to crystal digivolve in order to beat Demon!"

Kari nodded, "R-right." Her heart was suddenly pounding faster. This was it, do or die time. Kari clasped the crystal in her hands and closed her eyes. _Okay, you can do this, Kari. Everyone else did it, so you can too. Just keep it together. _Her heart just wouldn't slow down.

The crystal began to glow, but something was different this time. Instead of a bright white light shinning out, the crystal shown in a dark purple energy as its surface darkened to black. "T-Tai? What's happening?" Kari began to tremble. She was doing something wrong, but what?

Tai shook his head, "I-I don't know."

A black beam of energy shot out of crystal and pierced Gatomon. "K-Kari? What's happening? This doesn't feel right. It… it hurts!" Fear filled Gatomon's eyes, then her mouth moved as if it was acting on its own power. "Gatomon dark crystal digivolve to…" Her silhouette appeared in a dark purple aura, and her form began to change. "Harpymon!" 

Harpymon was a half-woman, half-bird Digimon. Her legs were covered with raven-black feathers, and her talons were pale gray. Her chest was shielded by a quartz breastplate, and quartz armbands protected her wrists. Her nails were long and black, like claws. Two raven wings protruded from her back. Her face was beautiful. She looked like Angewomon without a helmet, except that her eyes were red. But there was a cruelty to her expression. Her face was in a constant sneer of contempt, and anger burned in her eyes. 

Kari took a step back. Gatomon's crystal form frightened her. Why hadn't she mentioned the emotion or trait that powered her?

Harpymon gave a low laugh and looked at Demon. With a shriek, she flew in with her hands outstretched as if to strangle the Dark Digimon. "Dark Void!" A sphere of dark energy appeared in her hands and she threw it at Demon. Demon countered with his Chaos Fire. The two attacks detonated against each other in a small mushroom cloud. Harpymon dove through the cloud and began to swipe and claw at Demon. Demon barely had time to dodge the blows as he quickly backpedaled. 

Despite the fact that he was suddenly outmatched, Demon seemed to by enjoying himself. "My, my. You are quite powerful, my dear." He suddenly slowed down and dropped below Harpymon. Harpymon was going too fast to stop and pursue. She had to slow down first, which gave Demon the time he needed. 

Something flashed into existence in Demon's hand. It was a bright red ruby, the kind that had been fixed to Avatar's headband. Demon stood by patiently as Harpymon flew in, shrieking like a banshee. Demon casually flicked the ruby from his hand and it tumbled end over end towards Harpymon. The ruby connected with her forehead, and Harpymon instantly grabbed her head and began to thrash about. She growled and screamed as the ruby began to glow bright red.

Suddenly, Harpymon stopped thrashing and stood up right. She floated over to Demon and bowed before him. "Lord Demon, I am your humble servant." 

Demon smiled, "Arise, my dear." It was then that Kari saw what had happened. The ruby had someone fixed itself onto Harpymon's head. _Is it controlling her?_ Kari couldn't believe what was happening.

The other Digidestined ran up beside Kari, each one carrying his or her wounded Digimon. TK demanded, "What have you done to Gatomon?"

Demon looked up and smiled, "Harpymon, as she is now called, is my newest servant. But I have more than enough room in my ranks for more." Another ruby appeared in Demon's hand. This one was smaller than the last. "Wait here." Harpymon nodded and Demon blurred out of sight.

Kari looked around. "Where did he-"

"I am here." Everyone jumped and spun around to see Demon looming over the group. Before anyone could react, Demon reached out and pressed the ruby to TK's forehead. 

"AHH!" TK cried out, but he was quickly silenced as the ruby took control. TK's whole body trembled. He dropped Patamon in the process.

"TK!" Kari rushed to his side, only to see a blank look on TK's face. It was as if he was sleep walking. His eyes were open, but there was no recognition in them when he looked at her. 

Demon stepped back as Kari shook TK by the shoulders. "TK, don't give in. You have to fight it! Don't leave us!"

Demon said, "You are too late. He's mine now."

Kari looked back at Demon with a venomous stare. "You're wrong!"

Demon tilted his head to one side, "Am I? TK, get the crystal"

TK lunged forward with both hands and grabbed the crystal hanging around Kari's neck. "NO!" Kari grabbed the crystal with both hands and struggled to keep hold of it.

"Kari!" Davis and the other ran up to help.

Demon cut them off. "Chaos Fire!" The others were pinned behind a wall of flames. 

Kari continued to struggle against TK. His grip was like steel. "TK, please don't do this. You can't let Demon control you!" TK gave one final tug, and that crystal slipped over Kari's head. TK shoved Kari away and she stumbled onto the ground. Kari winced, "TK…" He didn't have any expression in his eyes. 

Demon laughed, "Excellent work, my new servant. Come with me." He scooped TK up and flew back to Harpymon. "Harpymon, you may have some fun with them. Just don't kill the child of light. We have use for her too." 

Harpymon nodded, "As you command, Lord Demon." She took the air and streaked in at the Digidestined. "Dark Void!" She hurled and sphere of black energy. The Digidestined instantly began to scatter. Tai grabbed Kari's wrist and yanked her in one direction while the others sprinted the other way. 

The attack impacted against the ground and blossomed into an explosion that sent Tai and Kari flying. Tai wrapped his arms around Kari and held on tight as they fell to the ground. Tai landed on his back and absorbed most of the impact. They bounced across the ground several times before rolling to a stop. His body went limp.

"Tai? TAI!" Kari shook her brother. He moaned in response, but his eyes remained closed. Kari looked at the others. Yolei and Cody were knocked out, just like Tai. Davis was only slightly better off. He was crawling on his belly towards Demiveemon. Harpymon landed right in front of him.

"Well, well." She lifted Davis up by the scruff of his jacket. "The master didn't say I couldn't kill you. But I might spare your life if you begged me to."

Kari cried out, "Gatomon! Stop it! That's Davis, he's our friend!" 

Harpymon scowled at Kari and flung Davis aside. He went limp after rolling to a stop on the ground. Harpymon called over, "I'm not Gatomon anymore. Gatomon is dead." 

Kari shook her head in numb shock. "No… that can't be true. You're still Gatomon."

Harpymon brandished her claw-like hand. "Wanna bet?" She leaped toward Kari. 

Suddenly, an orange blur struck Harpymon from the side and repelled her away. Harpymon tumbled through the air for a moment, but she quickly regained her flight and looked at her new opponent. Greymon was standing between Harpymon and Kari. He was bleeding and burnt, but he didn't look anywhere near giving up. 

Tears welled in Kari's eyes and she screamed, "Greymon, don't!"

Greymon opened his mouth and fired a stream of flame at Harpymon. The flames engulfed her, but she dispelled them with a burst of energy. "You're not even a challenge." Harpymon swooped in an arc and collided with Greymon's head. The larger Digimon shrieked and fell to the ground. Kari tried to get up and go to Greymon, but her legs wouldn't work right. She was too weak. 

Harpymon raised her hands, "Darkness…"

"GATOMON! DON'T!"

"Void!" She threw a large sphere of black energy directly at Greymon. The fallen Digimon only had time to look up at the incoming attack before it collided, and Greymon vanished in an explosion. 

Kari was thrown back by the force of the blast along with Tai. She came to a stop after what seemed like an eternity of rolling. She slowly opened her eyes, trying not to wince at the pain. The world seemed to be a mixture of blurs, and one black and gray blur was steadily approaching her. The blur resolved into Harpymon. Kari's former Digimon raised one hand and flattened it into a blade.

"Stop!" Demon and TK walked up to Kari and Harpymon. Demon waved a finger, "We must not kill her yet. I have need of her power." 

Kari's voice was barely above a whisper. "TK…" 

Demon smiled down at Kari. "Child of light, I could easily take you with me now, but I think you should enjoy the taste of defeat a bit longer." He placed a hand on TK and Harpymon's shoulders. "You're friend and your Digimon are mine now. You have lost." A black pool appeared blow Demon, Harpymon, and TK. They began to sink into the darkness.

"No… TK… Gatomon…" Kari rolled over and reached for her friend. TK didn't make any move to take her hand. The three of them vanished. Kari rolled onto her back. Greymon was dead. There was nothing left of his body. Demon had taken the Digivolution Crystal. TK was gone, a slave to Demon. And Gatomon was now a monster in the truest sense of the word. _This is all my fault. I failed. I killed Greymon and lost TK and Gatomon._ "Greymon… TK… Gatomon!" Tears cascaded down Kari's face, and she wished that she would just pass out. At least then the pain in her heart would stop.

********

Demon leaned back on his thrown and admired the beauty of the Digivolution Crystal. He couldn't stop smiling. _This world is as good as mine._ He looked at the human, TK, who was standing mutely next to him. Demon reached over and gently cupped his hand around TK's chin. He turned the boy's head towards the pit with a pair of modified control spires and an organic sack that hung from the ceiling. "Do you see that?" TK nodded. "You will help me create the most powerful Digimon in history. Does that please you?"

The child's voice was completely monotone, like a robot's. "I will serve you, Lord Demon." Demon chuckled. Revenge was so sweet.

Harpymon approached and bowed, "Lord Demon, what of the Digidestined? Shouldn't I have eliminated them?"

Demon smiled. Demon had given Harpymon more personal freedom than the Digidestined boy. Harpymon was able to speak her mind, the boy was not. "Those pathetic children are of no concern to me. The child of hope is mine and the child of light is of no use to them." He held up the Crystal. "Without the children of hope and light and this Digivolution Crystal, the Digidestined are powerless against me." Demon sighed and then laughed. This game was his.

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Well, I certainly gave Kari the runaround, didn't I? Kari is about to undergo a period of doubt and sadness, and it will take the full support of her friends to help her gain the strength to save TK and defeat Demon. Chapter 2 of "Caring Hearts" is coming soon.

Author's Note: I'm feeling a little unoriginal right now. It turns out that I'm not the only guy who thinks Demon would be a good head villain. Toei had the same idea as me. Demon is one of the main villains towards the end of 02. Go figure. 

Anyway, I found out about Demon through Megchan's Digimon Sekai at www.megchan.com/digimon/. Her Digimon Dictionary is the best. 

Harpymon is my own creation. Harpies are mythical women-birds who carry souls of the dead to the underworld. They also do their best to make sure that heroes fail.I can't offer any guarantees on when the next chapter will be out. In addition to schoolwork, I've also become a source for screenshots for a few websites. Digiworld Canada at http://www.geocities.com/porygon2.geo/digi.htm, and Pyromon's Digimon Page at http://www.geocities.com/pyromon1/D1/Homex.html. Pyromon has a "Digimon of the Month" feature, so I hope everyone will check both websites out. 

Needless to say, I'm gonna be busy. But I promise to get the next chapter out real soon. In the meantime, please review and let me know what you like and what you think I can improve upon. 


	2. Wounded

Caring Hearts

Chapter 2: Wounded

by Silver

*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon and I probably never will. However, if Toei suddenly feels like bestowing upon me ownership rights to Digimon's creatures and characters, I won't complain.*

Author's Note: I finally found time to finish chapter two. Good for me! Anyway, there's one thing I forgot to mention in the last chapter. To fully understand this story, you have to remember that the Crystal Digimon Saga takes an alternate timeline just after "Davis Cries Wolfmon." That means that, in my story, the Digidestined did not relinquish the power of their crests. You'll understand what that means eventually. 

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The throbbing pain was the first thing that Kari felt. The second feeling was the sensation of a hand gently brushing against the side of her face. Kari slowly opened her eyes, then shut them again as the harsh light of fading the sun beat against her face. She winced and tried to roll onto her side. That only made her body hurt even more.

"Easy." It took Kari a moment to recognize the sound of the voice.

"Ken?" Kari opened her eyes again and allowed them to adjust to the light. Ken Ichijouji was kneeling next to her, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "W…what…"

Ken held up a hand, "Don't talk. You've been hurt pretty bad, but you'll be okay. Gennai sent me a signal when he realized that you were in trouble. He and Mechanorimon are helping Stingmon gather the others up. We're going back to Gennai's home to take care of you all. Don't worry, everything will be okay."

_If only I could believe that_ was the last thought that Kari had before she drifted back into unconsciousness. 

********

Though he looked calm and oddly serene on the outside, TK's mind was filled with rage and anger at his captors. It was maddening to be conscious but not in control of his own body. It felt as though his whole body had been sealed in a cement block with two eyeholes carved out for him to see through. When he moved, his limbs acted stiffly, as if they were held by vices that only allowed him to move one way, the way Demon wanted him to move. 

TK was currently standing near the pit with the organic sack, looking over at Demon and Harpymon. It killed TK to think of what Kari must be feeling at that moment. Not only had she lost Greymon, but she had also lost her partner. _Kari, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I got captured and that I can't be there for you_. 

Demon, meanwhile, couldn't be happier. He was still admiring that stupid Digivolution Crystal. TK would have loved to shove that thing down Demon's throat. _Demon, I've tried to forgive and forget about all the evil Digimon in the past, but for what you've done to Kari and Gatomon, I'll never forgive you!_

Demon beckoned Harpymon to come closer. "My dear, I have another task for you."

Harpymon bowed, "Lord Demon, how may I serve you?"

Demon said, "Come closer and kneel down." Harpymon did so. Demon smiled, "This Digivolution Crystal has formed a bond between you and the child of Light." 

__

Kari?

"I am going to use that bond to quickly take a peek into her mind."

__

Leave her alone!

Harpymon asked, "What must I do, Lord Demon?"

Demon replied, "Simply remain still. I will use you to reach the child of light."

__

Stop it!

"And then I will break her."

__

DEMON!

********

Kari's eyes fluttered open, and the world slowly came into focus. She felt slightly better. The pain in her body had subsided into a dull ache. She reached up to place a hand on her head, and noticed that her right wrist was bandaged, as was her left leg and forehead. Kari looked around her. She was in a large room that looked like an old Japanese shoji house; a wooden framework supporting paper walls. 

Tai, Cody, Yolei, and their Digimon were all asleep around her. They were all bandaged up and looked like they needed baths and fresh clothes, but they appeared to be alright. Patamon was in the far corner. He was twitching and whimpering in his sleep, probably having a terrible nightmare. Veemon was also present, but Davis was missing, and there was an empty bed that had been slept in. 

Kari slowly eased herself up onto her legs. _Where are we?_ The last thing she remembered was Ken telling her she'd be okay. He'd said something about Gennai's home. Could this be where Gennai lived? Tai had mentioned it a few times, and Davis had described it when he recounted his walkabout, but Kari had never been to Gennai's home. In fact, she had only met Gennai once, shortly after the defeat of the Dark Masters. 

Kari tiptoed over Tai and the other and slipped into the hallway. She placed her hand on the wall for support as she limped down the hallway, looking for Gennai, Davis, or Ken.

A voice drifted from down the hall. It was Davis'. "Thanks again for coming to help us, Ken, Gennai." Kari moved in the direction of the voices as fast as she could.

The next voice was Gennai's, "Don't mention it, my friend. But you are lucky we got to you in time. If you had stayed there much longer, I'm sure a hungry Digimon would have made a meal out of the lot of you."

Ken's voice came next, "I'm still surprised that you're up and walking after all those injuries, Davis."

Davis chuckled, "I've got a head as hard as Veemon's." His voice grew somber, "And Harpymon didn't hit me as hard as she hit the others." Kari finally reached the room from where she heard the others talking. The door was shut, but Kari could peak into the room through a small gap. 

Davis was sitting on a cushion. He was just as bandaged up as the others. Gennai was sitting across from him, and Ken was between the two with his back to the door. Wormmon was seated next to Ken.

Ken looked to Gennai, "Just who is this 'Demon?'"

Gennai shrugged, "I've never heard of a Digimon by that name. He must be very powerful to avoid my detection. But I think it is safe to assume that he was the force behind Avatar, and it was he who stole all the control spires."

"And now he's stolen TK and Gatomon." Davis shook his head. "This is all my fault." Kari blinked in surprise at that.

Ken echoed Kari's thoughts. "How is it your fault?"

Davis said, "I was the one who gave the Crystal to Kari. It just wasn't the right time. My gut didn't agree with me, but I gave the Crystal to Kari anyway. I didn't trust my instincts and people got hurt because of that."

Ken said, "There's no way you could have known this would happen."

Davis replied, "That's no excuse for not trusting my gut."

Gennai asked, "Do you not think Kari is capable of achieving a crystal digivolution?"

Davis was quick to reply, "That's not what I meant! I know that Kari can do it, but it just wasn't the right time. I don't know how else to explain it, but I just have this feeling that Kari's time hasn't come yet."

Gennai said, "I told you to be careful with the Digivolution Crystal. Its powers magnify positive and negative emotions. Kari was not in the proper mental state to use its powers." Kari felt a fresh stab of shame at those words.

Davis looked at the ground, "I thought Kari would be able to use the Crystal without a problem. I mean, she's so kind and nice to everyone. I didn't think she'd have a problem."

Ken's voice was somber, "People aren't always what they appear to be."

Gennai nodded, "I suspect Ms. Kari has some hidden doubts under her kind exterior." Kari hung her head low.

Davis said, "What about Gatomon? If we destroyed the Digivolution Crystal, she'd revert back from Harpymon, right?"

"NO!" Gennai sprung forward and shook Davis by shoulders. "No, you foolish boy! You must not destroy the Digivolution Crystal! If it is destroyed, it will release untold power across the Digital World. You could end up destroying both worlds if you shatter the Crystal!"

"Okay! Okay!" Davis rubbed the back of his neck, "Then what can we do?"

Gennai settled back down, "Harpymon's power is fuelled by the negative emotions in Kari's heart. You will have to help her overcome those emotions if we are to get both Gatomon and TK back."

Davis' expression became uncertain. "M-me?"

Gennai nodded, "Next to TK, you've known Kari longer than the other new Digidestined. With TK captured, you are the best choice for supporting Kari through this difficult time."

Davis blinked, "I-I dunno."

Ken said, "What do you mean, Davis? I thought you'd jump at the chance to help Kamiya." Ken still was not on a first-name basis with Kari. 

Davis tilted his head upward and sighed. "Well, the truth is, I'm not sure I'm the best choice." He looked back at Gennai and Ken. "Kari is really cool, and fun to be with, but I don't know how close she and I really are. There's a lot about her I don't understand."

Gennai frowned, "Such as?"

Davis thought for a moment. "Well, like her powers. Tai once mentioned that Kari had this weird power where she glows and energizes Digimon. He said those powers really came in handy during the fight with the Dark Masters." Davis grimaced. "Tai and the others have seen that power, but I haven't, and that makes me feel like I don't understand Kari as much as I should."

Kari's eyes wandered to the floor. She'd always felt distant from other people because of her strange powers. She had gone through a long period of doubt after she returned to Odaiba after the defeat of the Dark Masters. There was so much about her powers that Kari herself didn't understand. It wasn't like she could control when she began to glow like a night-light, it just happened. Kari's powers sometimes made Kari feel like a freak, like she wasn't fully human. _I never asked for the crest of light, so why do I have to glow? _Kari returned her attention to the others.

Davis continued, "And then there was that whole Dark Ocean bit."

"DARK OCEAN?" Ken shouted so loud that even Kari jumped. "When? When did Kari encounter a dark ocean?"

Davis fumbled for his voice, "S… she, um…"

"TELL ME!" Ken pounded the floor for emphasis.

"Gennai forced Ken to sit back down. "That's enough! You cannot get Davis to tell you anything if you scare him half to death." 

Wormmon pleaded, "Ken, please." Ken nodded, but continued to stare at Davis. 

Davis finally regained his composure. "Kari got sucked into an alternate dimension a few months ago. It was this big dark world where everything was black and gray. She nearly got kidnapped by these weird dark creatures disguised as Scubamon, but TK found her and brought her back." Davis bowed his head, "I couldn't help her. Maybe it's because I don't understand what she's going through. I'm not 'part of the loop.'"

Gennai was silent for a moment. "Ken, how do you know about this Dark Ocean?"

Ken held up his D3. "When I first received a digivice, it was the same model as the digivices that the older Digidestined used. But then I was transported to a ocean where everything was shrouded in darkness. I put my digivice in the water and it transformed into a D3. My D3 became dark because of the evil power within that ocean." Ken's body trembled as he spoke.

Davis said, "Wow. I-I didn't know.

Ken shook his head, "There's no way you could. It's not common knowledge." 

Wormmon placed one of his small legs on Ken's hand. "It's all right, Ken. That nightmare's finally over." Ken smiled and patted his friend on the head.

Davis said, "Um, Ken?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe you should talk to Kari, because you understand what she's probably going through."

Ken shook his head, "I don't know Kamiya well enough to support her. You're the best choice, Davis. Remember when you invited me to come along to the Ancient Valley? You didn't understand what I had been through, but you tried to be my friend anyway. I don't think I'd be a part of the team as much as I am now if it hadn't been for you. Understanding isn't always important, Davis. Sometimes people just feel better when they know that someone is thinking about them. I think you can help Kari." Gennai and Wormmon nodded in agreement.

Davis wasn't so enthusiastic, "Maybe I'm just scared… That's kinda funny, isn't it? The guy with the digiegg of courage is scared."

Gennai said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the control of it. I know that you will do the right thing in the end, Davis."

Kari stepped away from the door and began to walk back to the room where Tai and the others were. She didn't want to hear the rest. _Davis doesn't want to help me because he's scared he doesn't understand me. I don't blame him. How can he understand me? I don't even understand who or what I am_. A deep feeling of loneliness welled up in Kari's chest. She'd always felt like she didn't quite fit in with everyone else. She had joined the original Digidestined too late to fully understand them and become part of the group, and she had never allowed herself to become closer to the new Digidestined. _I'm not part of one group or the other, I'm adrift_. Davis' hesitance only proved that Kari wasn't normal. She pushed everyone else away, even when she didn't want to. _Why can't I be like Tai? He has no problem making friends_. 

"Feeling a little lonely are we?" Kari jumped in surprise and looked to her left and saw… herself. A person who looked exactly like Kari Kamiya stood in the hallway with a mocking grin on her face. 

Kari took an awkward step back. "W-who are you."

Kari's doppelganger moved toward her. Kari noticed that the girl's feet weren't touching the ground. She was actually floating towards her.

The doppelganger asked, "Why are you feelings so lonely? I thought you had friends."

Kari couldn't think of anything to say, "I… I…"

The other girl smiled even more. "I can answer for you. They're not really your friends, are they? They're beneath you. They're inferior beings. They can't match your power."

Kari was quick to respond. "That's not true." 

The other Kari smiled, "Oh, but it is. None of the other Digidestined have your power, you're divine grace. You're different from them, you're above them. There's no way they could ever understand you."

"You're wrong! They're all my friends!"

The other Kari put on a mock surprised look. "Oh, really?" Suddenly, the Kari's double's features began to ripple and change. Kari blinked, and suddenly Davis Motomiya was standing in front of her. "What about me?"

Kari felt the blood drain away from her face. "D-Davis?" It couldn't be the real Davis, she'd just left him with Ken and Gennai. _Am I losing my mind?_

The Davis look-a-like leaned in towards her. "What do you think of me, really? Am I your friend, or just a toy for you to play with?"

Kari tried to sound confident, but fear choked her voice. "Davis is my friend." 

The Davis clone laughed. "Your friend? That's funny! Last I checked, friends didn't use their 'feminine charm' to make guys serve them."

"What are you talking about?" Kari could feel herself tremble. 

Davis' doppelganger said, "Remember the Digivolution Crystal? I wouldn't have given it to you unless you had batted those pretty eyes of yours. And this isn't the first time I've caved into your charm. I have to admit, Kari, you've got me completely woven around your finger." He pulled back from her face. "But you weren't always like this, were you?" The person in front of Kari began to change shape again. This time, the figure resolved into the form of Kari, except now she was eight-years old.

The younger Kari clasped her hands behind her back and put on a cute look. "I want to be everyone's friend, I don't like it when people play with each other's hearts."

Kari pressed herself against the wall in order to get as far away from the shape-shifter as possible. "Stop it."

The younger Kari looked at her quizzically. "Why do you tease Davis and make him do all your work for you? You keep asking him and TK to save you from danger, but you never save them. I don't like people who can't stand up for themselves. My brother, Tai, is a strong guy who stands up for himself and others. He's the strongest guy I know."

Kari felt her knees begin to weaken. The world began to blur. "This isn't happening… this isn't happening." 

The younger Kari shape shifted again into Kari's exact double. "Maybe I should put on a princess dress and play the classic 'damsel in distress' role. I seem to do that anyway, right?" She fixed Kari with an ice-cold stare. "Face it, Kari Kamiya, you're not a Digidestined. You're too powerful and strange for them to accept you. They don't understand you, they're not your friends, and you'll never one of the group. You're too different."

Kari placed her hands over her ears and shut her eyes. "No! That's not true. NOOOOOO!!!"

********

The first thing that Davis heard was a scream, followed by a loud thud. _That was Kari!_ Davis shot his feet and winced as his wounds flared up again. But he ignored the pain and limped down the all as fast as he could. Ken, Wormmon, and Gennai were two heartbeats behind him. 

Davis hobbled down the hall and saw a figure lying limp on the ground like a crumpled rag-doll. It was Kari.

********

Demon sighed as he removed his fingers from around Harpymon's temples. "That was… a unique experience."

Harpymon blinked, "Lord Demon, what did you do? I feel... I feel stronger." She flexed her arms. Even her muscle town had built up somewhat.

Demon replied, "I used your link to the child of hope to create a psychic probe to her mind. I then used illusions to amplify her fears and doubts. Her negative emotions have fueled you, my dear."

Harpymon smiled and bowed, "Thank you, my lord."

Demon nodded curtly and looked over at the child of hope. He could sense the emotions boiling within the child. _You'd like to tear me apart, piece by piece, wouldn't you? You'll never get the chance_. The child of light was as good as broken. Soon, Demon would be poised to rule over two worlds. 

********

"Kari? Kari?" A voice called to her from across the darkness. Kari's eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was her brother. The other Digidestined were looming behind him with worried looks on their faces. Tai's concerned look eased only slightly when he saw she was awake. "Hey, how you feeling?"

Kari could feel her eyes suddenly burn. With a sob, she wrapped her arms around Tai and buried her face in his shoulder. Tai grunted as Kari hugged him, squeezing his wounds in the process. He held onto Kari and rocked her gently as she wept onto his shoulder. After a few moments of crying, Kari whispered, "Take me home, Tai. I wanna go home."

Tai nodded, "Okay, let's go home." He helped Kari to her feet, and they began to shuffle towards the nearest door. Kari kept her eyes on the ground. She couldn't bear to look any of the other children in the face.

The group departed Gennai's house in silence. Davis and the others followed Tai and Kari at a distance. 

Ken was the first one to break the silence. "We will have to do some damage control when we get back."

Yolei said, "He's right. Matt will need to know what's happened to TK, and we'll have to make up an excuse for his mom."

Cody added, "One of us will have to take Patamon with us as well. He can't sneak back into TK's house." Patamon let out a small whimper.

Davis chimed in, "I'll take Patamon with me. Don't worry, Patamon, it'll be like a sleepover." He tried to sound cheerful, but his words came out forced and strained. 

Kari only half-heard the rest of the conversation. Her mind kept flashing back to that horrible vision, or hallucination, or whatever it was. _I've let everyone down_. The Digidestined had been going so strong recently. They'd become closer, defeated powerful enemies, and achieved four forms of Crystal Digimon. And then Kari had succeeded in ruining it all. She'd failed to help Gatomon crystal digivolve correctly, and that had led to the death of Greymon and TK's capture. _I failed. I'm useless. I can't help anyone anymore_.

********

Davis lay on his bed in a semi-fetal position, trying to fall asleep. It was only 8:00, but he was exhausted. The whole day had been one big disaster. 

Davis' wounds had finally stopped hurting, and he had been able to take off most of the bandages. The ones that remained could be attributed to soccer wounds if his family asked. 

The Digidestined had returned to their world, and Tai had helped Kari limp back to their apartment. That was the last Davis had seen of Kari. _Why can't I help her?_ Davis shook his head. 

Davis rolled over and looked at Patamon and Demiveemon. Both Digimon were sleeping on two pillows on the floor. Patamon was still shivering, despite the large blanked draped over him. Davis knew that the only way he'd feel better was to get TK back. But with Harpymon under Demon's control, there was little to no chance of the Digidestined getting close enough to help TK.

As Cody explained it, the only way to get TK back was to have Harpymon revert back to Gatomon, and to do that, Kari had to regain her self-confidence. That raised the problem of how to help her. Davis still wasn't sure how he could support her through all of this. He'd never been good at being the sensitive type. He was more of the go and get 'em type. But he wasn't sure that he could force Kari to feel better. _I feel so useless_.

Davis had gotten an e-mail from Tai about two hours after they returned to the real world. Kari was sick in bed with a fever, like the kind she used to get when she was younger. Tai had also spoken to Matt about TK, and nearly gotten his head ripped off by his friend. Matt had been in a panic until Tai had literally knocked some sense into him. Davis still remembered how surprised he had been when Matt had punched Tai during the MetalGreymon incident with the Digimon Emperor. At the time, Davis hadn't understood that some friendships took on more unusual forms. _I'd call knocking each other senseless a strange form of friendship_. 

After Tai had hit Matt, Matt had calmed down and listened to the full story. The two of them had worked out an alibi to tell Matt and TK's parents so that they wouldn't miss him. Matt had also insisted that he go with the Digidestined on their next trip to the Digital World to get TK back. _But I'm not even sure we can get him back. At least, not without Kari's help._ It all came down to Kari. She was the key to freeing Gatomon and TK, but she was still in no shape to fight.

A knock at the door broke into Davis' thoughts. "Davis? Are you okay?" 

Davis called out, "Go away, Jun." The door opened and Davis' sister stepped in. Davis winced as light poured over his face. "What part of 'go away' don't you understand?"

Jun folded her arms across her chest. "What's with you? I can't believe you're going to bed this early." 

Davis rolled over again. "None of your business."

Jun's voice became firm. "All right! If you won't tell me what's bugging you…" She reached over and grabbed Davis by the ear. 

"OW! HEY!" Davis stumbled to his feet as Jun led him by the ear and out the door. Jun hustled Davis over to the table and made him sit down.

"Wait here." Jun marched into the kitchen and opened the freezer on top of the refrigerator. Davis watched in bewilderment as Jun vanished behind the freezer door and began to shift things around. She quickly returned with three cartons of ice cream and two spoons. She placed the cartons in front of Davis and sat down on the other side of the table. "Well, dig in." She proceeded to scoop out a bite of vanilla. 

Davis looked at the Jun, then to the cartons of ice cream, then back to Jun. "What in the world are you doing?"

Jun took a scoop of chocolate. "This is the best stuff to have when you're depressed." 

Davis frowned, "Who said I was depressed?"

Jun gave him an "are you kidding?" look. "Come on, Davis. I know when you're depressed."

Davis blinked, "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?" Jun's gaze became harsh. She leaned over the table and knocked her fist against Davis' head. "OW! I take it back, you're Jun alright."

"Don't be mean, Davis!" Jun's gaze softened, and she let out a small breath. "Seriously, Davis, I do notice when you're sad."

Davis shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I… didn't think you'd notice."

Jun smiled, "You're my little brother, how could I not notice?" Both Davis and Jun took a bit of strawberry ice cream. Jun continued, "Davis, I know we argue a lot, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried about you. You're depressed, and it's not the kind of depressed that you become when someone laughs at you or when a girl turns you down. Something's really eating you up."

Davis nodded and helped himself to some chocolate. "This is really good."

Jun nodded, "It came in real handy when Matt left me on a curb and drove off to summer camp with you guys." She was referring to Tai and Matt's summer camp trip while Davis and the new Digidestined fought Kimeramon. "C'mon, Davis, tell me what's wrong."

Davis sighed, "Well, I have this friend who's going through a lot right now. She-"

"SHE?" Jun dropped her spoon. "Don't you mean 'he'?"

"NO! Why would I say 'he?'"

"I thought you were using the old 'my friend has a problem' trick. You know, you say your friend has a problem but it's really you?"

Davis gritted his teeth, "I don't do that!" 

Jun nodded, "Okay, continue." 

_How can I? You just killed the mood._ Davis took another bite of ice cream to regain his composure. "My friend, a _girl_, is going through some hard times right now. She's lost two friends… and another friend died."

"Oh…" 

Davis leaned back in his chair. "She's really depressed about it, and I wish I could help her, but I don't think I can. I'm not used to comforting people. I guess I'm afraid that I'll only make things worse."

Jun nodded, "No offense, Davis, but you're not the subtle type." Davis grunted and nodded with a little annoyance. Jun shrugged, "But if you don't try, you'll never know what you could have done."

Davis was silent for a moment. "That's… true."

Jun leaned toward Davis, "Davis, you're not the time to just sit back and wait for things to happen. You always do your best to make things happen. You're the most stubborn guy I know. I don't think you'll be happy until you at least try to help your friend. It doesn't sound like things can get any worse."

Davis nodded, "You're right. I don't think could become worse."

Jun nodded enthusiastically, "So you should at least try and make things better. That'd be better than just moping around doing nothing, right?"

Davis stood up. "Yeah you're right! I'm gonna go for it!"

Jun got up as well. "Good."

Davis smiled, "Thanks a lot, Jun. You really helped me out here."

Jun placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Happy to help." She put on a smirk. "But you're still a brat."

Davis scowled, "Same to you!"

Jun stuck out her tongue and swiveled around. "Put the ice cream away when you're done." She marched off with her nose stuck up.

Davis smiled as his sister left. _You think you know a girl…_He nodded to himself. Jun was right. Davis couldn't afford to keep feeling sorry for himself when Kari needed his support. He'd have to make things work out. _But I can't do this alone._ An idea formed in Davis' head. He quickly replaced the ice cream back in the freezer and went back to his room to get his d-terminal. 

********

Yolei stifled a yawn as she leaned against a tree in the Odaiba Park. Davis had sent out an e-mail to Yolei, Cody, and Ken, instructing them to meet him in the park. "Why do we have to do this so late at night?" Cody was sitting next to Yolei, trying not to nod off to sleep. Ken was standing a slight distance away from the group, watching Davis intently. 

Davis said, "Sorry I dragged you out here so suddenly, but this is important."

Ken asked, "This concerns Kamiya?"

Davis nodded, "Yeah, we need to talk about _Kari_." Ken shrugged. 

Cody said, "I'm not sure there's much to talk about. She's in a very vulnerable state right now and there's not much we can do to help her."

Yolei nodded, "She didn't even look at us when we left Gennai's place. I don't think she wants us to butt in."

Davis shook his head. "I won't accept that. Kari's hurting and she needs our help. I've been in her situation before."

Ken arched an eyebrow. "When?"

Davis' gaze grew reflective. "Back on my walkabout, I was attacked by this evil Digimon, Alraumon. She sprayed me with her Gloom Dust, and I went into this fever dream where I thought all my friends hated me. I woke up pretty fast, but I was a wreck. I tried to keep my feelings all bottled up and didn't tell anyone about the dream, but that only made things worse. All my bad feelings made it impossible for me to open the digiegg of friendship, so Veemon couldn't become Raidramon." 

Davis looked around the group. "Kari's in the exact same position that I was. She's not going to get better by keeping things inside of her. The trouble is that it's in her nature to hide her feelings. I knew her for a year before I met the rest of you. In all that time Kari never mentioned having any problems or acting sad. That's not normal. Everyone has bad days, but Kari never showed it."

Ken nodded, "She does seem to do her best to hide her feelings." He looked directly at Davis. "So, you've finally gotten over your hesitation?"

Davis gave a firm nod. "That's right. Someone told me that if I didn't at least try, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."

Yolei asked, "Who told you that?"

"Um… you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Yolei gave Davis a puzzled look, but nodded.

Cody said, "The problem is that Kari is feeling guilty and sad over many things. She's lost Gatomon, TK, and her friend Greymon all in one day. I don't think that we can help her get over that right away."

Davis said, "We don't have to help her feel 100% better, we just have to help her get her confidence back. Once we do that, we can get TK and Gatomon back." 

Yolei asked, "What about Greymon? He's… well… dead."

Ken corrected her. "Digimon don't die. They are reformatted and reborn as digieggs."

Davis smiled, "And that's how we're going to help Kari. I've got a plan to make her feel better, but I'll need all of your help to make it work. We'll have to skip school for a day, but that'll give us time to help Kari. You guys in?"

Ken nodded, "I'm in, definitely."

Yolei held her hand up, "Same here."

Cody jumped up, "And me as well." 

Davis held up both fists in an enthusiastic stance. "Alright! Thanks, guys! If this plan works, Kari will be feeling better in no time. With her help, we'll get TK and Gatomon back, and then we'll show Demon who's in charge around here!"

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To find out what Davis' big plan is, keep your eyes out for chapter three of "Caring Hearts." 

Author's Note: I imagine some people won't agree with how I presented Jun in this chapter, but I don't think I twisted her character. We only know about the fanatic side of Jun, which we saw when she chased after Matt. I think there's more to Jun than just her obsession with cute guys. I think, deep down, she really cares about Davis. They argue a lot, sure, but I argued with my brother when we were kids and I love him very much. So, like I said, I don't think I've gotten Jun's character wrong. She's a lot better than people give her credit. 

I'll get started on chapter three right away. Schoolwork is low right now, but no telling how long that will last. Anyway, please feel free to write a review. Catch you later. 


	3. Support

Caring Hearts

Caring Hearts 

Chapter 3: Support

by Silver

*Standard Stupid Disclaimer: I don't own rights to Digimon's creatures or characters.*

Author's Note: I am so sorry I took so long to write this chapter. My life has been extremely busy and my writing just got lost in the shuffle. However, I am now done with school for the summer (Yay!), so I should be able to write more (no guarantees, though). Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me and thanks to everyone who has been reviewing my stories. Those reviews help to keep me going. 

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In all the time he'd been a Digidestined, Davis couldn't remember a mission more important than the one he was about to embark upon. Ken, Cody, and Yolei were already waiting for them in the park with their Digimon. Patamon felt like as heavy as a sack full of bricks as he lay on Davis head. The little Digimon was still exhausted because of being separated from TK. _If this works, Patamon and TK will be back together in no time, and Kari will be back to her old self. Davis could feel his heart beat a little faster at that thought. This had to work._

He waved to the others as he ran up to them. "Hey, guys. Ready to start 'Operation Help Kari Feel Better?'"

Yolei rolled her eyes, "You couldn't think of a better name than that?"

Davis shrugged, "Hey, it works. You all know what you have to do, right?" 

Ken nodded, "You explained the plan to us several times last night. We don't need to hear it again." He reached over and picked up Patamon. "Ready to go back to the Digital World?" Patamon only moaned in reply.

Cody said, "Patamon will start feeling stronger once we're in the Digital World. And he'll be even better one we get TK back."

Yolei nodded, "But first we have to help Kari. Davis, are you sure you're up to this? I can still go with you."

Davis nodded, "I'm going to give this my best shot. Yolei, you should stay with Ken and Cody, because they'll need your help in Primary Village. The more people that go there, the faster the job will get done." Yolei nodded.

Davis took off his backpack and opened it. His family's laptop computer was lodged next to Demiveemon. "Davis, I'm getting squished!"

Davis pulled out his computer. "Sorry, buddy. But there wasn't enough room on my head for both you and Patamon, and you're smaller than he is." Davis opened the laptop and turned to face the others. "Good luck, guys." 

Ken held up his D3, "Digiport open!" The light sucked the three Digidestined, their Digimon, and Patamon in. 

Davis picked up the laptop, packed it, and placed Demiveemon on top of his head. "Let's get to Kari's house!" He ran off down the park trail.

********

Demon's eyes burst open at the sensation of a new power entering the Digital World. No… not one power; several powers. Crest powers. Demon closed his eyes and focused on the newcomers. There were three of them, yet two of the three were radiating dual powers. 

Demon remembered the sensation of the crests from his original battle with the Digidestined. The feel of their crests' powers sickened him. He could sense Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, and another power that Demon was only slightly familiar with. It had to be the crest of Kindness. _The former Emperor returns. A curious turn of events. The former Digimon Emperor had just begun to align himself with the Digidestined. He was slowly becoming a threat to Demons plans, and threats had to be dealt with. _

"Harpymon." The evil Crystal Digimon was by Demon's side before he was finished breathing her name.

"Yes, Lord Demon?"

"Our friends, the Digidestined, have returned. Several of them are on File Island. You've served me well, and so I am going to let you go play with them. Enjoy yourself."

Harpymon smiled, "Thank you, Lord Demon." She flew out of sight. Demon settled back on his throne. The Digidestined that were in the Digital World were of no consequence, all that mattered was the child of Light. But where was she? And where was the Digidestined of Courage and Friendship for that matter? That was a loose end that needed to be dealt with. Perhaps it was time to have Harpymon bring the child of Light to him.

********

Davis was beginning to have doubts about his role in this plan, which was pretty ironic considering it was his plan to begin with. As he walked up the steps to the Kamiya apartment, he was beginning to remember an important roadblock that he hadn't factored into his original plan: Kari's mother. Looking at the Kamiya'sfront door, Davis saw a scene flash in front of his eyes.

A nine-year-old Davis Motomiya stood outside the Kamiya's home with a small batch of papers in his hand. The door opened and Mrs. Kamiya stepped out. "Oh, hello."

Young Davis smiled, "Hi, Mrs. Kamiya. How's Kari?"

Kari's mother replied, "She's feeling much better. Her fever's gone down." Davis remember how often Kari used to get sick. She must have had taken the mostsick days from school out of their whole class. 

Young Davis handed her the papers that he was holding, "I brought Kari's homework."

"Thank you," Mrs. Kamiya took the papers, shuffled through them, and handed several back to Davis. "But please stop trying to trick Kari into doing your homework."

Younger Davis scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Sorry." His expression changed. "Can… can I see Kari? I just wanna say hi."

Mrs. Kamiya's expression changed as well. She went from sweet to nervous. "I'm sorry… but Kari isn't seeing anyone right now. She need a lot of rest."

"But you just said that she was feeling better!"

Mrs. Kamiya began to close the door, "She still needs plenty of rest. Now, please go home. Goodbye." She closed the door before Davis could reply. The scene vanished from Davis' eyes. He shook his head. 

He could count at least several times that he'd had an experience like that with Mrs. Kamiya. Davis had always brought Kari her homework whenever she was sick, but Mrs. Kamiya had never let him see Kari. It was like she was terrified to let anyone see her daughter while she was ill. There probably wasn't any chance that Davis would get to see Kari this time either.

_Oh well, here goes nothing. Davis knocked on the door. Mrs. Kamiya opened the door, as expected. "Oh, Davis."_

Davis smiled meekly, "Hi, Mrs. Kamiya. I came by to see how Kari's doing. Mind if I come in?" Davis stepped forward and tried to get his foot in the door.

Mrs. Kamiya came closer and blocked Davis' movement. "I'm sorry, but Kari still isn't feeling well. I'm afraid you'll have to come back later."

Davis frowned, "Please? Just for a minute." _If I can just see her…_

Mrs. Kamiya closed the door slightly, "No. I'm sorry, Davis. Now, you should get to school. You don't want to be late, do you?" She closed the door. 

Davis stood there for a moment, fuming. _Why doesn't she trust me? I've never been mean to Kari, and I always came by to check on her when she was sick. Why doesn't Mrs. Kamiya let me see her???_

_Demiveemon popped up from Davis' backpack. "That didn't go too well. What now?"_

_"I'm not done yet." Davis spun on his heel and stormed down the walkway. This wasn't over. There was no way he was going to let an overprotective mother stop him from helping his friend. If he had to, Davis would fly on XVmon and jump through Kari's window. If it came to that-_

"Hey, Davis!" Davis spun around and saw Tai running up to him. 

"Hi, Tai. I thought you'd be at school by now."

Tai slowed as he approached Davis. "My mom let me take the day off to help take care of Kari. You came to see her, didn't you?" Davis nodded. Tai's expression grew somber. "I see. Listen, Davis, I'm sorry my Mom didn't let you in. She always freaks out whenever Kari's sick."

Davis could feel all his frustration begin to thrash around inside him. It wanted to jump out. "Why? Why won't she let me see Kari?"

Tai's gaze shifted to looking haunted. "When I was a little kid, I made a really stupid mistake. I took Kari outside to a park when she was sick, but then she came down with pneumonia or something. It was all my fault. My mom freaked out and she… she…" Tai rubbed his cheek as if remembering an old wound. He shook his head, "Well, ever since then she's always lost it whenever Kari becomes sick. She makes sure that Kari stays in bed and doesn't let anyone see her."

Davis said, "But I can help Kari feel better. I know I can! Isn't there some way I can see her?"

Tai shook his head. "Davis, sometimes people just need to handle things on their own. It's great that you wanna help Kari, but there are some things that we have to deal with on our own. Kari will make it through this, you just need to give her time." Tai turned to leave.

"No! You're wrong!" Tai turned around to see Davis staring at the ground with his trembling hands clenched into fists. 

Tai blinked, "Davis…"

Davis kept talking, "I've tried handling things on my own before. It doesn't work! Even if Kari does make it through this on her own, part of her is still going to hurt. But I know I can make things better and that she won't have any hidden doubts. I know I can do it!" He looked right into Tai's eyes. "You know what I mean, Tai. You still have some soft spots from when Kari got sick, don't you?"

Tai shifted uncomfortably, "What do you mean?"

Davis continued, "Just now, when you were talking about how Kari got sick, you skipped over what your mom did. What happened?"

Tai bowed his head slightly, "She… hit me. A quick slap on the cheek."

"And you got through that on your own, right?" Tai nodded. "Do you still hurt over it sometimes?"

Tai's voice was quiet. "yes."

"Then let me help Kari so she doesn't have to go through the same thing. I know how you and Kari feel, I went through the same thing on my walkabout. Tai, please, help me see Kari."

Tai was silent for a long moment. "Okay, you've convinced me. But we can't go through my mom, she'll never allow it. We need another way in." Tai let a small smile cross his face, "And I have the perfect idea." 

Davis smiled, "Okay, let's hear it!"

Tai said, "I saw your laptop in your backpack with Demiveemon. If you enter the Digital World and come back through your laptop in about ten minutes, I can arrange for you to appear in Kari's room. Then, I'll distract my mom while you two talk. But you'll have to make it quick because I can only keep my mom from checking in on Kari for so long." 

Davis nodded, "Great idea. Let's do it." He pulled out his laptop and handed it to Tai. Davis pulled out his D3, but hesitated. "Hey, Tai?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I made you talk about that memory from when you were a kid. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Tai shook his head, "Naw. You're right. Keeping things bottled up never helps."

Davis nodded, "You ever talk to your mom about it?"

Tai replied, "No, but now's a good time to bring it up. I'll worry about talking with my mom, you help Kari."

Davis said, "Right! Digiport open!" The laptop's screen flashed bright white and Davis and Demiveemon were pulled in. 

Tai shut the computer screen and turned around to head back to his home. He couldn't help but think about how Davis had acted when he first became a Digidestined, and how much he had changed. "Kid's grown up right in front of my eyes."

******** 

Yolei moaned as she, Ken, and Cody trudged uphill. "Why do we have to walk around the whole island?" 

Ken explained, "There's only one Digiport on File Island, so we have to walk to Primary Village."

"Well why can't we just have our Digimon fly us there?"  
Hawkmon replied, "Because, Yolei, we need to keep our strength up in case Demon or Harpymon attacks. Besides, I'm sure a walk will do us some good. You have been eating some extra-"

Yolei cut him off with a glare. "Finish that sentence and I'll be having roast Digimon tonight. Got it?"  
Hawkmon nodded, "Indeed I do."

Ken shrugged, "It could always be worse. At least we're walking through a forest. When I went to Primary Village to find Wormmon, I went around the other end of File Island, which was a desert." 

Yolei clasped her hands, "Dessert?" Hawkmon sighed.

Just then, Armadillomon's nose began to twitch. Cody noticed his partner's action. "What's wrong, Armadillomon?"

The Digimon replied, "I know this sounds weird, but I smell Gatomon."

Yolei came to an abrupt stop, "Gatomon? Could she have escaped Demon?"

Armadillomon shook his head, "Naw, the smell's too old. She must have a come by a long time ago."

Patamon, who was feeling stronger since their return to the Digital World, said, "Gatomon's cave is near here. She used to spend a lot of time in this area."

Ken arched an eyebrow. "A cave?"

Patamon nodded, "Most Digimon like to live in small villages, but Gatomon wasn't comfortable around all the other Digimon, so she decided to furnish a cave nearby the villages."

Yolei nodded, "I once remember Sora mentioning that Gatomon used to side with evil Digimon. I guess she felt a little uncomfortable around all the peaceful Digimon."

Patamon said, "Yeah, she did. And it was even harder for her after having to say goodbye to Kari. The rest of us Digimon tried to be there for her, but it was a while before she got used to being around us."

Ken said, "Let's investigate the cave."

Cody blinked, "Why? We need to get to Primary Village."

Ken replied, "We might be able to find something that will jar Gatomon's memory and help her break Demon's control over her. It won't hurt to make a small detour."

Cody nodded, "That makes sense." 

Yolei smiled, "Perfecto! Let's get going!" She and the others began to head down a side path. 

********

Kari let out several coughs as she lay in bed. Her forehead was beading with sweat, and she felt like her whole body was going to melt. "Stupid fever. I thought I was done being sick…" She rolled over and coughed even more.

She heard the door to her room open slowly. Tai entered the room with a laptop tucked under his arm and closed the door. "Hi, Kari."

Kari tried to force a smile, but it wouldn't come. "Hi, Tai. I don't need anything right now, but thanks."

Tai smiled, "Actually, there's someone here who'd like to see you."

Kari frowned, "Who?" Kari couldn't remember anyone outside of her family visiting her while she was sick.

Tai set the laptop on the ground and activated the screen. "You'll see." The screen flashed white and a black blur jumped from the screen. It resolved into Davis and Demiveemon, who promptly tumbled to the floor and landed on their faces. 

Kari blinked, "Davis?"

Davis held up a hand, "Don't worry, I'm okay." 

Tai rolled his eyes, "I'll leave you two alone. Davis, you've got five, maybe ten minutes. I can't keep my Mom out too long." Davis got up and nodded.

Tai exited the room.

********  
  


Tai's mother was standing outside as he shut the door to Kari's room. "Tai, what was that noise I just heard?"

Tai said, "I went in to see how Kari was doing and I tripped. Sorry."

Tai's mother nodded and turned back towards the kitchen. Tai remembered the talk he'd had with Davis just a few minutes earlier. He brought his hand up against his cheek as he remembered how hurt he'd been the day Kari had gotten sick and when his mother had slapped him. That memory had driven him crazy during the battle against Machinedramon. Davis was right, Tai couldn't keep this bottled up. "Mom?"

"Yes, Tai?"

"Can we talk?"

********

Davis stood in the center of room, looking at Kari. He wasn't sure what to say. "Hi, Kari. How ya feeling?" Not very original, but it was a start none-the-less.

Kari rolled back over, "Davis, please go away. I'm not feeling well."

Davis said, "But that's why I came. I wanted to see how you were doing." Kari remained silent. "C'mon, Kari, I skipped school just to see you. Please don't give me the cold shoulder."

Kari repeated, "Davis, please go away."

"But-"

"GO!" Kari coughed after slightly raising her voice.

Davis could feel defeat welling inside of him. He was sure what to say. _It's all or nothing. If you can't say the right thing then all your planning was for nothing. Davis took a deep breath. He wasn't very good at speaking, but he did know how to speak from the heart, like he had when he refused to run away from Kimeramon. "Can I just say one thing before I go?"_

Kari didn't sound all that interested. "What?" 

Davis took one more breath. "I believe in you." 

The silence that followed weighed heavier on Davis than if MetalGreymon had stepped on him. Davis sighed and turned around. He held up his D3.

"What did you say?" Kari rolled back over to look at him. A small flicker of hope lit inside of Davis. He turned back to Kari.

"I believe in you. I know things are looking really bad right now, but I know things will get better. It's just a matter of time."

Kari asked, "Because you're an optimist, right?"

Davis shook his head, "No. I'm an optimist, but that's not the reason I know everything will be okay."

"Then why?"

Davis smiled, "You. Whenever I'm around you, Kari, I have this feeling that everything's going to be okay. There's just something about you that makes me feel better. Sooner or later, you'll feel better and then we can work as a team again, and that helps keep me going."

Kari averted her eyes to the ground, "I'm the reason everything's so messed up right now."

Davis said, "No, you're not. What happened with Gatomon was just a fluke. I know you'll get the crystal digivolving right next time."

Kari said, "There isn't going to be a next time." She coughed again. "I'm not going to have Gatomon crystal digivolve ever again. _If we get her back, that is."_

"We _will get her back, and we'll get TK back too. Just you wait, everything's gonna be fine." Kari didn't look all that optimistic. Davis approached her bed and stood at her side. He looked around, trying to find something that would help him change the subject. "Hey," Davis reached over to the bedpost. "I haven't seen these in a while." Tai's old goggles hung from Kari's bed._

Kari propped herself up. "Tai gave those to me after you returned them. I figured they'd help me be a little more like Tai, but then I realized how lousy I looked when I wore them."

Davis frowned, "'Be a little more like Tai?' What do you mean?"

Kari sighed, "I've always looked up to Tai, Davis. He's brave, and caring, he makes friends easily and he's a natural leader. But it seems like I'm the exact opposite. I don't make friends as easily as he does, I freeze up in a dangerous situation, and I couldn't lead a fish to water."

Davis shook his head, "That's not true. And you are very caring."

Kari was about to reply, but Demiveemon spoke first, "Hey, can I try on Tai's goggles?"

Davis blinked, "_You? Since when do you want to try on the goggles?"_

Demiveemon smiled, "You were always going on and on about how cool those goggles were, so I wanna try them on for once." 

Davis looked at Kari, "Do you mind?" Kari shook her head. Davis picked up the little Digimon and the goggles, then turned his back to Kari. Kari tries to peer over Davis' shoulder to see Demiveemon while Davis adjusted the goggles, but she couldn't see anything. Finally Davis turned around. "Tada!"

Kari laughed out of sheer delight. The goggles were wrapped around Demiveemon's head, but both lenses were slightly larger than his head. The goggle straps were longer than his body. Despite his silly appearance, Demiveemon was beaming with pride. "That is so cute!" Kari reached over for her camera. "I need to take a picture of this."

"Wait." Demiveemon hopped back onto Davis' shoulder. "Okay, now." Davis smiled and held up two fingers in a peace sign. Demiveemon gave a small wave. Kari giggled and took a picture. 

Then, Kari's smile faded again, "Davis, I have a strange question for you."

Davis said, "Ask away."

"Why do you still have a crush on me?"

Davis' face turned slightly red, "How'd you know?"

Kari rolled her eyes slightly, "Davis, I'd have to blind and deaf not to notice your crush." She hung her head slightly, "But I always teased you and joked around. I… I played with your heart. That's unforgivable. Why'd you stay interested in someone like me?"

Davis said, "What is with this 'someone like me' attitude? Kari, you are a really great person. You're kind, and pretty, and fun to be around."

Kari shook her head, "I'm pretty on the outside, but not on the inside. I'm not kind, either."

Davis placed a hand over Kari's. "That's not true. Kari, I didn't fall for you just because of your looks. Do you remember when we first met?" Kari shook her head. Davis continued, "Well, I do. It was my first day at school and I was so nervous. We'd just moved to Odaiba and I was scared that I'd screw up and make a fool of myself, like I usually do. I ended up sitting under a tree while watching a soccer game. Then you game over to me and asked if you wanted to be friends. And, just like that, you became my friend. You helped me become more at-ease with the school, so I wasn't afraid to screw up as much. That's when I fell for you, because you such a kind person. It felt good just to be around you."

Kari kept her eyes averted, "You're putting me up on a pedestal. I'm not that kind of a person."

Davis replied, "Yes you are! You're only one who doubts it. I'm not the only one who feels this way. TK, Yolei, and Cody all feel better just by having you around. And I think Ken likes having you with the group too. Kari, you make everyone feel better just by being who you are." Davis sighed, "I admit that it drove me nuts when you flirted with TK, or when you would put me down, like when I was badmouthing Jun. But I know what a kind person you are, so I tried not to let it get to me. I'm sure you had a good reason for teasing me."

"Well…" Kari put on a slight smile. "Have you ever seen your face when you're jealous?" Davis shook his head. Kari said, "You're face becomes as red as a Tyranomon and you get this look like you're about to tear the other guy apart. I can see veins bulge in your neck and your eye twitches a little. It's actually really funny to see, because it's such a big reaction for such a minor thing."

Davis scratched the back of his head, "Well, I don't like to go half-way. I'm the all-or-nothing type."

Kari nodded, "I noticed."

********

When Yolei had herd the term "cave" she had expected a damp, dreary hole in the side of a mountain; but Gatomon's cave didn't match her expectations. It was furnished with fresh leaves and sand to warm the stony ground. There was a bed furnished out of wood and grass, and a small table that was made out of wooden poles secured by vines. A set of candles was placed on top of the table. Those were the only pieces of furniture; the rest of the cave was bare. Gatomon had probably only stayed in the cave to sleep and had spent the rest of her time out in the open. 

Ken looked around, "It doesn't look like there's much here. Too bad, I was hoping there'd be at least something."

Cody shrugged, "Digimon probably don't keep many items around. They're not as materialistic as humans."

Yolei nodded, "We should get to Primary Village." Just then, Yolei noticed something glimmering on the table, farthest away from the candles. "What's this?" She peered closer. It was a whistle; a small silver whistle with a pink thread wrapped around it. The silver was newly polished, and the string was laid out neatly so as not to be tangled. Yolei picked it up. "Gatomon owned a whistle?" 

Patamon flew over towards her. "That's Kari's old whistle. She gave it to Gatomon to remember her by when TK and the others had to go back to the real world after defeating Apoclyamon. She left it here because she didn't want to risk losing it. It was all she had to remember Kari by." 

Ken said, "Let's take it with us. We might be able to use it to jog Harpymon's memory and turn her back into Gatomon." Yolei nodded and looped the whistle around her neck. 

The three Digidestined exited the cave and resumed the trek to Primary Village. 

Along the way, Wormmon stopped and his whole body began to tremble. Ken noticed first. "Wormmon, what is it?"

"There's a powerful evil force coming here. I can feel it." 

"Darkness Void!" The Digidestined were sent flying as an explosion ruptured from the ground. The three of them tumbled along the ground until they rolled to stop. Yolei looked up, and saw Harpymon hovering over them like an angel of death.

Harpymon fixed them with a cruel smile, "I see that child of Light isn't with you. That means that Lord Demon won't mind if I kill you.

********

In the short time they had been talking, Kari's condition had improved dramatically. She felt stronger, and her coughing had stopped. Davis had actually given her a ray of hope. She didn't feel like the world was crumbling around her as much. "Thanks, Davis. You've really made me feel better."

Davis smiled, "I'm glad. I wasn't sure if I could and I nearly didn't come here at all."

Kari frowned, "What changed your mind?"

Davis hesitated. "Jun gave me a pep-talk that brought me out of my little depression."

Kari blinked. "Jun? Jun, your sister, Jun?" 

Davis nodded. "Yeah, that Jun."

"Jun, has a huge crush on Matt, Jun?"

"Yep."

"Jun, the boycrazy airhead, that Jun?"

Davis threw his hands in the air, "How many people named Jun do you know?" 

Kari still couldn't believe it. "I never would have expected your sister to do something like that."

Davis shrugged, "Me neither. I guess you can know someone your whole life and still be surprised by them."

A knock came from the door. "Kari? Are you awake? I hear someone talking in there?" Both Kari and Davis paled. Davis instantly picked up Demiveemon and rushed to the small corner beside the door. Kari's mother opened the door, squishing Davis and Demiveemon in the process. "Kari, you're awake."

Kari put on a nervous smile, "Uh… Hi, Mom." 

"You look so much better! Let me take your temperature." She took a step forward.

Kari held her hands up, "NO! I-I mean, that's okay, Mom. I feel much better. You don't need to check my temperature." Kari risked a glance and Davis and Demiveemon. Both of them were turning blue in the face as the door pressed in on them. Their normally round faces were squished into squares.

Kari said, "Um, Mom, I think I'm going to take a nap, so could you please close the door?"

Kari's mother blinked, "O-okay. Well, call me if you need anything." She turned to leave and eased the door closed. Davis and Demiveemon let out a sigh of relief. Kari's mother stopped, "Oh, by the way." She opened the door again, which pressed Davis and Demiveemon to the wall once more. "I thought I heard someone else's voice in here." 

Kari fumbled for an answer. "I was… just clearing the frog out of my throat. You know. Heh heh…" 

Kari's mother gave her a inquisitive look, then nodded and closed the door.

Davis and Demiveemon slumped to the floor. "I think she permanently squished my face."

Demiveemon rubbed his cheeks, "Mine too." 

"Sorry, guys." Kari quickly got out of bed, ran over, and locked the door. 

As she helped Davis to his feet, Davis' d-terminal chimed with a new message. Davis took out the mini-computer and read the message. "Oh no…"

Kari frowned, "What? What is it?"

Davis looked at her, "Ken, Yolei, and Cody are under attack from Harpymon."

Kari could feel the blood leave her face again. "What are they doing in the Digital World?" 

Davis was silent for a second. "They're, um, scouting around to see where Demon might be hiding." Kari didn't believe Davis' answer, but she decided to just nod. Davis looked her in the eyes, "You feeling up to this? We really need your help."

Kari nodded and ran over to her desk. She opened a drawer and pulled out her D3. "Let's go."

Davis smiled, "Right." He opened his laptop and activated the screen. "Digiport, open!" Davis, Kari, and Demiveemon entered the Digital World. 

********

Harpymon couldn't stop laughing as she danced through the air and flicked Dark Voids at the Digidestined. It was delicious to see them scatter and run in an attempt to dodge her attacks. She could easily wipe out the whole area if she chose, but that wouldn't be any fun.

Her opponents, Shurimon, Digmon, and Stingmon, all attacked in unison. Harpymon dodged Shurimon's shuriken, looped around Digmon's drill missiles, and then grabbed Stingmon by the wrist as his energy stinger came within a centimeter of her forehead. She knew her opponents' plan. They wanted to strike the ruby on her head in the hopes of freeing her from Demon's influence. They wanted to turn her back into Gatomon, the pathetic little ally cat that had relied on a human. Harpymon didn't want to be near anyone, she liked being alone. How dare they try to turn her back against her will?! _I won't go back to being that weakling! Suddenly furious, Harpymon delivered a backhanded slap to Stingmon that sent him tumbling. He reverted to Wormmon and fell to the ground with a loud thump._

"Darkness Void!" Harpymon's attack collided with Shurimon and Digmon and forced them back into their Rookie stages. This game was over. "You three were hardly an amusement. I think I'll end this."

"Boom Bubble!" Harpymon felt a painful sting as something collided with the side of her head. Patamon was hovering just below her.

Patamon's voice was pleading, "Gatomon, stop this! You don't want to hurt your own friends, do you?"

Harpymon sneered at him and dove down, clutching the little Digimon in her hand. "Listen to me. I am _not Gatomon, I am Harpymon. Gatomon is __dead. I will never go back to that pathetic form." She threw Patamon onto the ground and flattened her hand into a blade. "DIE!" She dove down with her hand thrust out._

_NO! Don't kill Patamon! Harpymon came to a stop as she felt more than heard another voice within her mind. It wasn't a different mind, more like a part of herself that she didn't want to listen to. That wasn't all; Harpymon could feel herself weakening. Her strength and speed began to diminish, and she could no longer feel the child of light's pain and sadness. __She can't be feeling better. She just can't be!_

_Harpymon felt the other voice again. __Stop hurting your friends. You can't kill the people you care about._

_They're not my friends! I am not Gatomon._

_Yes, you are. You are__ Gatomon, and you care about all your friends. Stop denying it._

"I am not!" Harpymon dove in at Patamon again, murder in her eyes.

"STOP IT!" The child of light, Kari, appeared out of nowhere and interposed herself between Harpymon and Patamon with her arms flung wide in a protective stance. Something in Harpymon forced her to abort her dive and hover in the air. Kari said, "Stop it, Gatomon. Don't hurt Patamon."

"Kari..?" Harpymon couldn't believe her eyes. The voice in her head was calling out the girl's name, driving Harpymon insane. She grasped her head and screamed. Abandoning all thoughts of killing the Digidestined, Harpymon took to the air and flew away from the Digidestined at top speed. She had to get away, but she just couldn't outrun the tiny voice within her mind.

********

Kari could feel her pulse begin to slow as Harpymon flew away. Despite the trembling in her knees, Kari refused to sink to the ground. She wiped the sweat off her brow and turned towards Patamon. "Patamon, are you okay?"

Patamon nodded, "Yeah, thanks. What are you doing here?"

"Kari!" Ken, Yolei, and Cody came running up while carrying their Digimon. "How did you get here?"

Kari smiled, "Hi, guys. I caught a ride with Davis."

Davis and Raidramon came out of the forest. Davis had a half-worried, half-angry look on his face. "Kari, don't do that again! I nearly had a heart attack when you jumped off of Raidramon and ran in front of Harpymon. We were just about to jump in when-"

Kari cut him off. "When you noticed that she stopped her attack and wasn't going to hurt me. Thanks for hanging back, Davis."

Yolei came up, "Are you feeling better?"

Kari nodded, "Yes. Davis and I had a long talk. I think I'm ready to help out again."

Cody smiled, "That's great." Kari noticed that Ken gave Davis a meaningful look and a shake of the head. Davis nodded and seemed to understand.

"Kari?" Yolei lifted looped off something on her neck. "Um, I don't know if you want to see this, but I think I should give it to you." She handed Kari a whistle. "We found this in Gatomon's cave."

Kari reached for the whistle with a trembling hand. "This is… I always thought that Gatomon had lost it." She took it from Yolei and held it close.

Yolei shook her head. "Nope. Gatomon kept it extra-safe so that she wouldn't lose it."

Ken said, "I think we should leave before Harpymon comes back. Our Digimon can't face her. We need to think up a new plan of action."

Davis nodded, "Right, let's go." Everyone began to walk away.

"No." Everyone turned around and saw that Kari hadn't moved an inch. She still held the whistle tight in her shaking hand. She said again, "No. No, I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm not leaving yet."

Ken frowned, "Why not?"

Kari looked at everyone with tears shinning behind her eyes. "Back there, Harpymon said my name, and I was sure I could see Gatomon reflected in her eyes. Gatomon is still alive, somewhere deep inside of Harpymon. I could feel her breaking free. I can't just turn around and leave after coming so close to getting Gatomon back."

Cody said, "Then let's wait for Tai and Matt. They both wanted to come with us to get Gatomon and TK back."

Kari shook her head, "No. That'll take too long. Harpymon is faster than any of our Digimon. If we wait for Tai and Matt we might lose her. Please, everyone, I need to go after her _now."_

Davis nodded, "Okay, let's go!"

Cody blinked, "Davis? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Davis said, "Of course. If Kari's not going to give up, then neither should we." Kari thanked him with her best smile.

Yolei stepped forward. "You can count me in!"

Cody followed her, "Okay, you've convinced me."

Ken said, "I'll come too."

Kari whispered, "Thank you, guys." 

Davis punched a fist in the air, "Let's get to it!" Raidramon reverted back to Veemon.

"Veemon digivolve to… XVmon!"

"Hawkmon digivolve to… Aquillamon!"

Kari, Patamon, and Davis mounted XVmon while Ken, Wormmon, Cody, and Yolei got on Aquillamon. The Digidestined took off in the same direction as Harpymon. Kari could feel something deep inside of her. It was either a premonition or foreboding. _No matter what happens, I won't give up. I'll get both Gatomon and TK back, because I have friends like Davis and the others to support me when I need them. That knowledge alone gave Kari strength._

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Kari discovers the secret of Demon and his plans in the next chapter of "Caring Hearts." Coming soon, hopefully.

Author's Note: In case anyone is wondering, Tai's mother really did slap him when Kari became sick. The next time FOX shows "My Brother's Keeper" watch the flashback scene. The scene is in black and white, but Tai is nursing a red mark on his cheek while his mother is shouting at him. 

I never understood what happened to Kari's whistle. During the flashback in "Fusion Confusion" Kari is seen with her whistle, but Gatomon never had a chance to return it. I guess that's just a plot hole. 

I can't make any promises about when the next chapter will be out. I am helping to prepare for my brother's graduation from college, and my family is going to Italy in less than two weeks. I will try and get the next chapter out soon, but I ask that everyone please be patient with me. In the meantime, please review and let me know how I'm doing and what I can improve upon. Thanks in advance. 


	4. Captured

Caring Hearts

Caring Hearts

Chapter 4: Captured

by Silver

*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of its characters or creatures. Poor me.*

Author's Note: I managed to get this out sooner than I expected. My grandmother has developed problems, so she's come to stay with my family while she rests up. This has canceled our trip to Italy. It's a disappointment, but as Agumon says, "If life gives you lemons, make lemon pie!" Therefore, I will use the time when I am not helping my grandmother to write more stories. So, here is the next chapter.

Paildramon returns once again in this chapter. It seems that whenever I use him I get at least one e-mail reminding me that Paildramon is the result of a DNA digivolution between XVmon and Stingmon. However, I had to adapt Paildramon to fit my story. If you're wondering how it is possible for Paildramon to digivolve directly from Veemon, please read the author's notes at the end of the chapter. A friend of mine came up with a very good explanation. 

Anyway, that's all I have to ramble on about for now. Hope you enjoy the chapter. 

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When one lived to be as old as Demon, one became more than accustomed to the occasional emotional upsurge. Demon had certainly gone through his own emotional roller coasters both before and after his rebirth. He was used to the feelings of anger and sadness, and there were even strange and ironic times when Demon had taken comfort in those emotions, for they were the only things that kept him from feeling nothing at all. Happiness was far more alien to him; he didn't have many reasons to be happy. But fear, fear was something he was not all that used to; and he was very afraid.

The Digidestined were coming, all five of them. How had the child of light recovered so quickly? Demon had been sure that she'd take at least a month to regain her fighting spirit, and he had always considered that to be an overestimation of her strength. Why was everything falling apart so suddenly? The child of light was stronger, Harpymon was weakening, and the Digidestined would soon be at his doorstep. Those children had toppled him once before, he held no delusion that they could not defeat him once again.

Demon looked over at the embryonic sack hanging in the pit. _If I can just complete my creation, then I will have nothing to fear_. If he could complete his plans, he would be very happy indeed. 

Demon looked over that the Digidestined of hope, who still stood fixed in the corner. "Come here." The child did so. "Go and alert my strongest warrior, he will be needed soon." Demon allowed himself a small smile as he reflected on how wise he had been to have more followers than just Avatar, Cyclonemon, and Harpymon. He had at least one more follower to fall back upon. 

The child of hope bowed robotically and walked into the darkness. Demon settled back on his thrown. The final conflict was about to begin.

********

When one had been a Digidestined as long as Kari had, one came to realize that the feeling of fear before a battle just never went away. As the landscape soared by under XVmon, Kari couldn't stop her heart from pounding. She knew that negative emotions only made Harpymon stronger, but this wasn't the same kind of fear that she had felt when Harpymon had killed Greymon. This was the feeling of uneasiness before a fight. However, Kari was determined not to fail this time. She would get Gatomon _and_ TK back, and then she'd show Demon what it meant to hurt her friends. 

Kari felt a warm hand on top of hers, and looked over at Davis. Davis asked, "You okay?"

Kari nodded, "Just nervous. I don't know what's going to happen." 

Davis said, "Don't worry. I promise that we'll get TK and Gatomon back. Nothing's gonna stop us!"

Kari smiled, "Thanks."

XVmon spoke up. "Harpymon's trail is pretty fresh. I think we're nearing Demon's home." 

"Davis! XVmon!" Everyone in the group jumped as a loud voice boomed up from below. 

Davis looked down, and then let out a laugh of sheer delight. "VEE!"  
Vee the AeroVeedramon soared up right next to XVmon. Kari hadn't seen the Digidestined's newest friend since their adventure in the Ancient Valley. Davis called over, "Vee, what are you doing all the way out here?"

Vee blinked, "'Out here?' Davis, do you not know where you are?" 

Kari frowned. She hadn't been keeping track of their location, she had been too nervous. "Where are we?"

Vee pointed down, "We are just passing over the Rock Maze now. I saw you approaching and decided to meet you."

Davis scratched his head. "You mean we're back near Meadow Town and the Rock Maze?" He looked over at Kari, "You ever notice that we always seemed to get pulled back here?"

Kari nodded. Meadow Town had been a source of trouble for the Digidestined. Aside from its hero-worshiping populace, Meadow Town had also be a target for Okuwamon and one of Avatar's sources for the anti-Digidestined movement. Davis had had his fair share of problems in the Rock Maze as well. 

Vee said, "I am glad you are all here. My clan is facing a crisis, and we would value your help."

Aquillamon pulled up next to Vee. "I am afraid that we are facing a crisis of our own."

Vee nodded, "I'd wager that our two crisis are intertwined. My clan has changed much from when we last met. We have left the Rock Maze to explore the surrounding territory, and we discovered a growing darkness gathering in the Dark Forest."

Kari could see Davis tense up, and XVmon shuddered. The Dark Forest held one of the most unpleasant memories for Davis on his walkabout. In that black forest, Davis had been attacked by Palmon's evil twin, Alraumon. Alraumon's attack had left Davis emotionally wounded, and had prevented him from using the digiegg of friendship for a time. 

Vee continued, "We've set up a perimeter around the forest to confront whatever evil emerges, yet nothing has happened. However, I suspect that the evil is using teleportation to bypass us."

Ken asked, "Have you tried to enter the forest?"

Vee shook his head, "No. The evil we sense is too powerful for a direct confrontation. I had hoped to contain the evil and then send out some of the younger Veedramon to find all of you. We are in desperate need of your help."

Yolei asked, "Just what does this evil feel like?"

Vee replied, "It is the darkest manifestation of hatred and evil that I have ever sensed. It reeks of anger and maliciousness, and I can also sense the power of control spires behind it."

Davis nodded, "It's gotta be Demon. Gennai said that Demon was probably the guy who stole all the control spires."

Kari agreed, "And his base is in the Dark Forest."

Davis shook his head, "I walked right through that guys home and never even realized it."

Kari placed a hand on his shoulder, "You had no idea he even existed at the time. At least we have the advantage that you're familiar with the territory." 

"Yeah, you're right." Some of the guilt left Davis' face.

Kari could see the Dark Forest now. A long line of blue, the Veedramon clan, could be seen encircling the forest. The Veedramon were spaced far apart due to their somewhat limited numbers, but they were still an impressive force to see. Several loud roars erupted from the Veedramon.

Vee said, "Some of my brethren are reporting that a strange Digimon broke through their lines and entered the forest. The Digimon was so fast that they didn't even have time to fire at it. Fortunately, no one was hurt."

Kari whispered, "Harpymon…"

Davis said, "Vee, we'll go in first. We have to rescue some friends. We'll give you a call if we need your help."

Vee nodded, "Understood. Good luck, my friends." He broke off and dove towards his clan.

Davis called out, "Let's do it, guys!" XVmon and Aquillamon headed strait towards the Dark Forest. 

********

Ten minutes later, the Digidestined found themselves deep within the Dark Forest. They had spread out to look for an entrance into Demon's domain. Kari shivered as she stepped through the black grass. This place was cold, like a tomb. She hadn't been this uneasy since her accidental visit to the dark ocean. She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She jumped and spun around, then let out a sigh of relief when she saw Davis.

Davis said, "Sorry I startled you."

Kari replied, "It's okay. This place is just a little creepy." That was the understatement of the millennium. 

It was clear that Davis wasn't enjoying this either. His face was tense and his muscles were bunched up. Kari asked, "How are you handling things?"

Davis forced a shrug. "I'll handle it. Tai once told me that having courage isn't a lack of fear; it's controlling your fear so that it doesn't rule you. I'm trying to do that right now." 

Kari nodded, "Same here."

Yolei called over, "Guys! I found something!" The others ran over to where she stood. Yolei was next to a small crack in the ground. She was on her hands and knees and looking down into the ground.

Ken said, "That's far too small for us to fit through."

Yolei looked up, "I know, but there's something down there." She backed up so that everyone could see.

Cody looked down. "She's right. There's a small shinning object far below. I can't see what it is though."  
Suddenly, a loud rumble reached up from the ground. The Digidestined braced themselves as the soil began to rise and fall rapidly. "EARTHQUAKE!" 

Kari stumbled and reached of something to hold onto as she lost her footing. Another loud crack deafened her ears, and then Kari could feel herself falling. A fissure had opened up directly beneath her, and she was tumbling into the abyss. Kari only had time to let out a brief scream before everything went dark.

********

"KARI!" Davis ran over to the fissure as soon as the quake subsided. He was just about to jump in after when Ken grabbed him and held Davis back. Davis struggled, "Let go! Kari's down there. She could be hurt!" 

Ken held on tight. "How are you going to help her if you simply dive in and get yourself killed? Settle down. We'll go after her." Davis let out several deep breaths and forced himself to remain still. 

"Okay. What should we do?"

"For starters, you can worry about yourselves." Everyone turned around as a new voice came from the trees. "Metal Fireball!" Blue flames leapt from the darkness. Digidestined and Digimon dove out of the way as the fire set everything in its path ablaze. Davis looked up at their attacker. It was humanoid Digimon with medium gray skin and bulging muscles. He wore black leather pants with a flame patter, and chains encircled his body and arms. A metal mask covered his face, leaving an opening at the top for his blue hair. Flames poured off his body, and his eyes were beady red.

Armadillomon identified the Digimon. "Uh oh. That's SkullMeramon. He's one toasty critter. His Metal Fireball attack is hotter than 10-alarm chili. He's an Ultimate and he feeds off of fire."

Davis got to his feet. "I don't have time to mess with you. Back off!"  
SkullMeramon twirled a chain over his head. "Now, now, don't be rude. I just showed up. Let's have some fun." He lashed out with his chain. Davis dodged to the side just in time as the chain went sailing by his head and broke a nearby tree in half. The bark sizzled from the intense heat of the chain.

Davis looked at his partner. "Veemon, teach this guy a lesson!" 

"Right! Veemon digivolve to… XVmon!" 

Cody said, "You too, Armadillomon!"

"Armadillomon digivolve to… Ankylomon!" 

The two champions rushed SkullMeramon. XVmon led off with a right hook, but he burned his hand on contact with the evil Digimon and had to back off. SkullMeramon laughed, "You're no match for my flames. Lord Demon wants me to destroy all of you, and I'm happy to oblige."

"Tail Hammer!" Ankylomon brought his tail slamming into SkullMeramon's jaw and sent the Ultimate Digimon staggering backwards. Ankylomon smiled, "My shell can take a lot more heat than just that!" 

SkullMeramon snarled and lunged at Ankylomon. He lifted the Dinosaur Digimon up over his head and threw him against a set of trees. SkullMeramon then ran over and kicked Ankylomon in the head. "I guess your shell isn't so great against my fists!"

"X Ray!" An X-shaped beam struck against SkullMeramon's back. Rather than damage him, the blast only intensified SkullMeramon's flames. SkullMeramon looked over at XVmon. "Is that all you have to offer?"

Yolei stood up, "Hawkmon, you'd better join in."

"No." Ken held up a hand. "SkullMeramon is too strong for our Digimon. Aquillamon and Stingmon won't make a difference against him. Davis, we have to use Paildramon. Fight Ultimates with Ultimates!" 

Davis nodded, "Right!" He took out his d-terminal and activated the Ultimate command. The crests of courage and friendship burst from the screen and sent their dual power into XVmon. 

"XVmon digivolve to… Paildramon!" Paildramon stood across from SkullMeramon. "Ready for round 2?"

"Gladly. Metal Fireball!" Paildramon jumped above the small river of fire. 

"Dragon Strike!" Blue energy surrounded Paildramon's body, and he dove in at SkullMeramon. The other Digimon managed to dodge the blow, but the ensuing explosion staggered SkullMeramon backwards, right towards Ankylomon. 

"I've got you now!" Ankylomon head-butted SkullMeramon from behind and used the curve of his shell to flip the fiery Digimon over. SkullMeramon landed flat on his face. "He's all yours, Paildramon."

"Thanks!" Paildramon's blasters snapped to the front. "Dramon blasters!" Streams of blue energy shot from Paildramon's cannons and raked the ground and SkullMeramon, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. 

Paildramon stood ready with his blasters as the dust began to settle. SkullMeramon was still standing, but just barely. His pants were torn, and several of his chains had broken. He battered and bruised from head to toe.

Paildramon said, "Surrender. I don't want to have to kill you, but the lives of my friends are on the line and I won't hesitate."

SkullMeramon chuckled, "I'll never surrender to the likes of you. Metal-"

"Darkness Void!" A blast of dark energy hit SkullMeramon in the back. He dissolved into a dispersing cloud of data before he even had the chance to scream. 

"Harpymon!" That was all Paildramon could say before another Darkness Void slammed into him and forced him back to Veemon.

Harpymon chuckled, "I finally get the chance to finish our fight before we were so rudely interrupted. This time, I will not falter."

Davis ran over and helped is partner back to his feet. This didn't look good. _Out of the frying pan…_

********

The cool touch of earth was the first thing that Kari felt as she opened her eyes. It was dark, but Kari could see that she was inside a small tunnel. She looked around. The ground was rock, but the sides of the tunnel were black and smooth. Kari walked over to the wall and pressed her hand against it. Kari instantly recognized the material. "Control spires…" The ceiling and walls were made out of control spires.

Kari heard a footstep behind her. She spun around expecting to see another evil Digimon, maybe Harpymon herself. What greeted her vision was far more surprising. "TK!" 

TK stood in front of Kari, his gaze as fixed and empty as Kari remembered. Kari stood there, trembling. She hadn't seen her friend since he had been captured. Suddenly, TK lunged forward and grabbed Kari's arm. Before she could react, TK grabbed her other arm and pinned them behind her back. "OW! TK, you're hurting me!" His gaze did not change.

TK forced Kari to walk forward towards what appeared to be the tunnel's exit. Kari walked along without struggling. She knew it wouldn't do her any good to break free of TK's grasp. Where would she go? S still, Kari instantly recognized the situation she was in. _The damsel in distress; captured by the forces of evil. I'll probably have to rely on Davis and the others to save me._ Why couldn't she ever be strong enough to stand on her own?

TK and Kari entered into a huge cavern. There was a small pit on the other end of the cavern with two controls spires bordering some kind of sack that hung from the ceiling. In the middle of the cavern was a thrown, and on that thrown sat Demon. Kari's eyes narrowed at the sight of the evil Digimon.

Demon stood up. "Welcome, child of light. I've been expecting you." He walked up and gazed down at Kari. "It's amazing how you humans change form over time. I still remember you when you were as sort as an Agumon."

Kari stared strait into Demon's eyes. "Let TK go, now."

Demon laughed, "You presume to order me? Very amusing." 

Kari could feel her frustration building. This monster had caused her enough grief already. "Just who are you anyway? Where did you come from?"

Demon said, "I'm so glad you asked that question. You and I have met before, as have the older Digidestined."

Kari shook her head, "I'd remember something as evil as you."

Demon replied, "Oh, I looked much different when we first met. Let me give you a hint." Demon leaned in close to her face. "Not even your power was enough to eliminate my loneliness and sorrow."

There was something about that phrase that made Kari's blood run cold. Her face paled to nearly pure white. "Apocalymon?"

Demon nodded, "Yes. I am Apocalymon, reformatted and reborn!" He straitened up and loomed over Kari. He apparently saw the disbelief in her eyes. "Digimon do no die, they are merely reformatted; and I _am_ a Digimon, am I not? After my death at the hands of you Digidestined, I returned to a void of nothingness. My data was scattered and broken, but I refused to fade into nothingness again. Instead, I managed to pull myself together into a new form, Demon. But the experience left me weak. I was in no shape to make a play for power yet. Instead, I waited and watched as the Digital World began to change. From the shadows, I saw the Digimon Emperor rise and fall, and I found a loyal servant in Avatar."

Kari said, "But, Avatar was made from the lost souls of Digimon babies that were killed by the Dark Masters, and Apocalymon-"

Demon nodded, "The Dark Masters smashed digieggs, which created Avatar, and I created the Dark Masters. Therefore, I created Avatar, indirectly. Imagine my surprise when I discovered a creature that had been born form similar conditions to those of myself. I was created from Digimon who failed to digivolve and Avatar was created from Digimon who never had the chance to live. Rather amusing, don't you think?"

Kari looked at him in utter disbelief. "Avatar was so full of pain and sorrow. How could you use him like that?" The idea that Avatar served the very creature that created his suffering was sickening.

Demon waved dismissal, "Avatar thought he had a hard life as a mind without a permanent body, but what did he really know? I have had to endure the loneliness of total darkness while watching everyone else from afar for years. Avatar had a much easier life compared to that of my own."

Demon continued, "Even though Avatar hated the Dark Masters, he remained ignorant of my former life and served me faithfully. He became my right hand and helped me to establish a base of power upon which to build my new rule. He was also instrumental in searching for you and the child of hope.

Kari asked, "What do you want with me? Why did you kidnap TK?"

Demon smiled and held Kari's chin. He sifted her view over to the sack hanging over the pit. "That organic sack holds the future of the Digital World. It is my creation, my child, ArcaDemon."

"ArcaDemon?" Kari didn't like the sound of that.

Demon released Kari's face and smiled. "Yes, ArcaDemon, a Super-Mega Digimon. His power will be beyond anything in existence. Even the great Omnimon wouldn't be able to stand against him." 

Kari said, "Than neither will you. You're creating something you can't control." 

Demon waved a hand. "On the contrary, I am perfectly in control. I had intended for Avatar to control ArcaDemon's body, but you Digidestined ruined that plan. Now I shall have to use the remaining dark spirals that the Digimon Emperor had left over to control ArcaDemon."

Kari protested, "The dark spirals can only control Ultimates and Champions, Ken never tried to control a Mega!"

Demon replied, "I am not the Digimon Emperor, I have much more power. I will boost the power of the dark spirals to a new level. That has always been my contingency plan. It's a shame, really. Avatar was so enticed with the idea of a perfect body." 

"Perfect body?"

Demon nodded, "ArcaDemon is made up of data from my own body that has been modified to reach even higher levels of power. His strength is unimaginable." Demon reached under his wing and produced the Digivolution Crystal. "And this bauble will increase his powers ten-fold!"

Upon seeing the Crystal, Kari lunged forward to try and grab it but TK held her back. Demon laughed, "You can't stop me now. I have planned too carefully to be stopped by mere children." 

Kari demanded, "Just how much have you planned? How long have you been manipulating people and Digimon?"

Demon said, "Longer than you can imagine. Do you remember SkullMammothmon and GrandKuwagamon? Those two were unintentional servants of mine."

Kari shook her head, "But SkullMammothmon was created from the dark power of a control spire."

Demon gave her a humoring look. "Really? A control spire just _happens_ to fall into the river of the Ancient Valley and a dying Mammothmon just _happens_ to be infected with its power? Doesn't that sound a little too coincidental? I ordered Avatar to knock the control spire into the river so that it would infect at least one or more Digimon."

Kari paled even further. "You did that to Mammothmon? Why?"  
Demon seemed to take great pleasure in explaining. "ArcaDemon's body is perfect, but he is not at full power yet. Before I can unleash him upon the Digital World, I must satiate him first. The power of SkullMammothmon would have been perfect for feeding ArcaDemon and energizing him."

"What about GrandKuwagamon?"

Demon replied, "His purpose was two-fold. I sent Avatar to make a deal with the dying Okuwamon after his battle with Flamedramon and the Digidestined of courage and friendship. Avatar offered Okuwamon the opportunity to gain more power by changing his body so that it would consumed control spire energy. Okuwamon agreed and instantly became my servant. Okuwamon gathered control spire energy and became GrandKuwagamon, who, like SkullMammothmon, would have been perfect fodder to throw to ArcaDemon. Additionally, GrandKuwagamon gathered the remaining dark rings and dark spirals for me and distracted you Digidestined while I transformed all the remaining control spires into my new base."

He continued, "I had also planned on feeding MagnaAngemon to ArcaDemon after all the evil Mega Digimon had been destroyed. That was why Avatar lead the attack on Primary Village, he knew that the child of hope would come. Sadly, you Digidestined foiled that plan as well. You really have been an annoyance to my plans."

Kari asked, "What about ExPiedmon? Did you manipulate him as well?" 

Demon sighed, "I confess, I had not planned on ExPiedmon appearing. He was a rouge, a wild card. However, it was he who created the need for the Digivolution Crystal. When I learned that you Digidestined had the Crystal, I knew it was time for me to act. ExPiedmon was the signal to begin the dawning of my rule." 

Kari demanded, "And what do TK and I have to do with all this? Why are you so eager to capture us?"

Demon said, "ArcaDemon is a viral Digimon, and viral-type Digimon have a weakness against light and holy powers. The crests of hope and light are the embodiment of such power. For ArcaDemon to be truly perfect, I had to find a way to build a defense against such powers." Demon looked over at the control spires. "Those spires are modified so that they will drain your power and feed it directly to ArcaDemon. He will feast upon the crests of hope and light, and will grow stronger because of it. Your power will awaken ArcaDemon and help him build strength against the sickening purity of your power. But first…" Demon walked towards the pit and held up the Digivolution Crystal.

"NO! Don't!" Kari struggled against TK's grip, but couldn't break free. 

Demon casually tossed the crystal directly at ArcaDemon's sack. The organic mass glowed dark purple and began to pulsate with amazing speed as the Crystal neared. Tendrils of dark energy shot out and wrapped around the Crystal with greedy hunger. The Crystal began to vibrate and glow white, and cracks danced across its surface. Kari remembered what Gennai had said. If the Crystal was destroyed, its power would burst out and destroy almost everything. 

The Crystal shattered. The world vanished in a brilliant flash of white. Kari closed her eyes and waited for the end. The end never came. Kari slowly opened her eyes and blinked to get ride of the after flash shadows in her eyes. The white energy of the Crystal was radiating from ArcaDemon's sack. _He absorbed all of it? He absorbed that much power?_

Demon laughed triumphantly. "And now ArcaDemon will become a dark crystal Digimon. Thank you, Digidestined, for making my victory possible." Demon turned back to Kari. "And now for you." He reached under his wing again and pulled out a small ruby. "This is one of the three rubies that adorned Avatar's headband. His body was contained in the headband, but his power to control other creatures came from these rubies. The large ruby attached to Harpymon has the power to control higher-level Digimon such as Ultimates and Megas. The ruby attached to the child of hope controls Baby and In-Training Digimon, as well as humans. And this ruby controls Rookie and Champion Digimon, so it is more than powerful enough to bend you to my will." He walked towards Kari with the ruby held high.

Kari struggled to break free of TK even more, but she couldn't get away. It suddenly occurred to Kari that Davis and the others would never make it in time to save her. She had to get out of this on her own or become Demon's slave, just like TK. _What can I do? I don't know what to do. I'm…I'm… helpless." _Kari felt a fresh stab of shame at her weakness.

Demon was upon her and was about to press the ruby to her forehead.

"_I believe in you_." Davis' words found their way into Kari's mind. Davis believe in her, even though she didn't believe in herself. And the same was true for Ken, Yolei, Cody, and TK. They all believed in her for some reason. _I won't fail them. I won't let them down. The future of the Digital World and the real world depends on me and my desire to not give up_.

The ruby was centimeters from her head now. Kari shouted, "NO! I won't let you!" Kari could feel her body becoming hot. Something began to awaken inside of her. A bright pink flash erupted from her body and filled the cavern with light. Demon screamed and staggered back while the ruby in his hands shattered. Kari could also feel TK's grip slacken. 

The light was blinding and too much for Kari to bear all at once. She felt her energy begin to drain away. The light faded and Kari slumped to her hands and knees from sheer exhaustion. 

Demon flexed his burning hands. "So, you're powers are awakening again. I did not foresee this." He stood up to full high and shouted, "Well! If I cannot control you, I will simply use the direct approach!" He lunged forward and grabbed Kari around the throat. Kari choked and clawed at Demon's hand couldn't loosen his grip. Demon then grabbed TK around the waist and sailed over to the pit. He landed right in front of one of the control spires. "You will serve my needs, whether you like it or not!" He tossed Kari at the spire's side. Kari expected to bounce off the spire's surface, but instead of hitting hard minerals, Kari felt as though she'd landed in mud. The spire's surface mashed inward around her and she could feel herself being pulled in. The spire's surface crawled across her arms and legs, pinning her as it sucked her in even farther.

Demon set TK down. "Get in!" TK obediently walked over to the other spire and pressed himself against its surface. The spire began to pull TK in just as Kari had been. 

No matter how hard she tried, Kari couldn't move an inch within the spire. She could feel her strength ebbing even more. Had she been free, Kari was sure she would have fallen flat on her back. _It can't end like this. I won't let it end like this_.

Demon laughed again and flew to the edge of the pit. "My triumph begins!" 

********

The battle began with an all-too-familiar war cry. "Digiarmor energize!"

"Veemon armor digivolve to… Flamedramon: The Fire of Courage!" 

"Hawkmon armor digivolve to… Shurimon: The Samurai of Sincerity!" 

"Armadillomon armor digivolve to… Digmon: The Drill of Knowledge!"

"Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!" 

Harpymon laughed, "Oh, please. Haven't you gotten tired of those forms by now?"

Davis ignored her. "Remember, guys, aim for the ruby. If we destroy that, we'll free Gatomon." 

"Right!" Flamedramon leaped into the air. "Fire Rocket!" Several fireballs streaked in at Harpymon. The dark crystal Digimon dove past them and skimmed close to the ground as she approached Digmon.

"Rock Cracking!" Digmon drove all of his drills into the ground, creating a massive fissure that reached towards Harpymon. As the fissure widened, several large rocks were forced up directly in Harpymon's path.

"Darkness Void!" Harpymon simply blasted the obstacles in her path.

"Digmon, watch out!" Shurimon jumped above his ally. "Double Star!" Harpymon broke off her attack to dodge the large shuriken blade. Stingmon was waiting for her.

"Spiking Finish!" He dove in at Harpymon with his energy stinger extended. Harpymon spun around and slapped Stingmon's arm away with amazing speed, then punched him in the chest. Stingmon tumbled away, but regained control of his wings and ceased his free fall. 

Davis noted that Harpymon wasn't fighting at full power. _She's lost some of her strength since Kari began to feel better. That means we still have a chance._ "Keep on her, guys!" 

Flamedramon jumped at Harpymon. "Fire Rocket!" His body became encased in flame and he soared at his opponent like a roman candle. 

"I have had enough of you!" Harpymon held up her hand. "Darkness VOID!" She threw a sphere that was twice the size of a soccer ball. The attack collided with Flamedramon in mid-air. An explosion blinded all the combatants. Flamedramon fell back and reverted to Veemon as he struck the ground, but Harpymon wasn't done yet. "Darkness Voids!" She threw sphere after sphere of dark energy, bombarding the landscape with her power.

The Digidestined instantly began to scatter. Shurimon picked up Yolei and jumped between attacks. However, one explosion blossomed right in front of him, and Shurimon and Yolei were thrown back onto the ground. Shurimon reverted back to Hawkmon.

Stingmon seized Ken and tried to fly above the bombardment. "Don't worry, Ken, I've got you." He danced between the voids and someone managed to fly above Harpymon. All Ken and Stingmon could do was watch as their friends tried to survive as well.

Digmon, who was substantially slower than Shurimon or Stingmon, shielded Cody with his body and hoped that his armor was strong enough to survive the bombardment. Fortunately, none of the Darkness Voids hit Digmon directly, but several came close enough that the ensuing explosions pelted him with superheated pebbles and soil. Digmon's armor developed burn marks and dents, and with each shock wave his strength diminished. By the time the bombardment ceased, Digimon could only slump and regress back to Armadillomon. 

Davis, meanwhile, ran deeper into the bombardment, towards Veemon. "Hang on, Veemon! I'm coming!" He held his arms up over his head as several explosions threatened to knock him down. Harpymon saw Davis running and targeted him specifically. 

"Darkness Void!" The attack landed right at Davis' feet. The world vanished in a hail of dirt and smoke as Davis bounced along the ground. He rolled to a stop and tried to curl into a ball. He felt crippled with pain. The explosions and sounds of screaming energy faded. Davis forced one eye open and looked around. He felt terrible. He hadn't felt this bad since GrandKuwagamon had hit him with a Catastrophe fireball. 

Davis looked up to see Harpymon smiling down at him. She held one hand out towards him and dark energy began to gather around her palm. "I think I'll finish you first, little man."

Davis tried to stand up, but his muscles felt as though they had been ripped apart from the inside. Stingmon and Ken were flying in, but they'd never make it in time. Hawkmon and Armadillomon were out cold, which meant that Yolei and Cody couldn't help either. Davis was going to die.

__

It can't end like this. I won't let it end!

********

The darkness consumed her. As the light dimmed, she could feel her mind slipping away. Who was she? Where was she? _I am… I am…_Nothing came to her. It was a wonder she could even process thoughts at all.

One name rose to the front of her mind. _ArcaDemon._ It wasn't her name, but it was somehow important none-the-less. A full thought formed. _ArcaDemon… ArcaDemon is awakening._

She slipped deeper into the darkness, away from the light.

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Cliffhanger! Big fights are in store in the next chapter. The Crystal Digimon Saga come to an end in the final chapter of "Caring Hearts"!

Author's Note: No promises on when the next chapter will be out, but I hope to do it in under two weeks. 

Now, some people have asked how XVmon can digivolve directly into Paildramon without Stingmon's help. My friend, Shkspr1048, has two theories on how XVmon digivolves into Paildramon on his own. The first theory is that it was Davis' will that forced the evolution, which makes sense considering his crystal Digimon is "The Strength of Will." 

The second theory has to do with the fact that Davis' crests of courage and friendship combine their power to enable the digivolution. The power of two crests compensated for the lack of Stingmon, so XVmon was able to digivolve.

I think these are pretty good theories. They're a lot better than my explanation. My answer is that I didn't know about DNA digivolving at the time, so I just decided to change the rules. When I found out about DNA digivolving, I decided that I'd come too far to go back and change everything, so I'd just stick to what I came up with for the alternate timeline. It's a lousy answer, but that's the truth. 

ArcaDemon comes from the Digimon manga (Japanese comic book) "V-Tamers," which stars Tai and the Veedramon Zero. However, my ArcaDemon will look very different from the comic book version of ArcaDemon, who is very insect-like. Please don't be surprised if there's a discrepancy. 

That's it for now. I'll try and get the next chapter out soon. In the meantime, I'd appreciate any and all reviews. 


	5. The Ultimate Evil

Caring Hearts

Caring Hearts 

Chapter 5: The Ultimate Evil

by Silver

*All too Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Digimon's creatures or characters. The original concept of ArcaDemon comes from the V-Tamers Japanese manga (comic book), so they own the rights to him. All crystal Digimon are my creations, however, so please don't use them without my permission.*

Author's Note: I'm afraid I told a slight fib at the end of the last chapter. This isn't the final chapter of "Caring Hearts." As I was writing, I realized that this chapter would be far too long, so I decided to write one more chapter after this one. Sorry for the misinformation. 

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Harpymon's hand became encased in dark energy as she powered up to finish Davis. Davis was still lying prone on the ground, cursing his luck. _I can't die here. I have to help Kari. I promised I'd get TK and Gatomon back! Davis knew he wasn't always the most reliable of people, but he always fought hard to keep his promises; and his promise to Kari was one of the most important priorities in his life. _

He clenched his hands into fists and shut his eyes. _I'm not going to die here! I'm not going to give up! I'll find a way out of this even if I have to fight Harpymon myself! Davis could feel his heart growing hot. Something inside of him was burning. __I'm not going to die. I WON'T LOSE! _

"What?" Harpymon's voice was filled with surprise and confusion. Davis opened his eyes and saw that a small light was shinning beneath him. Davis managed to peer down at his chest and saw that the light was emanating from his heart. Across the way, Veemon was also starting to glow. His whole body glimmered with white light. He stirred and sat up with a confused look on his face. 

_It couldn't be, could it? Davis remembered Tai and the older kids telling the newer Digidestined about their battle with Apocalymon. Even though their crests and tags had been destroyed, the older Digidestined had found a way to get their Digimon to digivolve to Ultimate by using the power of the crests within their hearts. __Maybe… just maybe…_

_Veemon looked up, "Davis? What's going on?" _

Davis called out, "Veemon! Crystal armor energize!" The light in Davis' heart flashed into a blinding radiance. Veemon's form became a silhouette in the light.

"Veemon crystal digivolve to… Diamon: The Strength of Will!" Veemon's crystal form emerged from the light. 

Harpymon, who was still too stunned to actually move and finish Davis off, became even more astounded. "Diamon? He crystal digivolved without the Crystal?"

Diamon held up his golden claws. "Harpymon, it's time to finish this. I'm taking you down."

Harpymon scowled, "I doubt that. I'll kill you and then I'll finish off these other weaklings!" Without another word, Harpymon kicked off into the air and flew strait for Diamon. Diamon ignited the thrusters on his back and flew to meet his opponent. The two crystal Digimon met head on in a flurry of punches and kicks. 

"Gold Claw!" Diamon's right hand claws extended as he slashed at Harpymon. The blow scrapped against her leg as she flew up higher. Diamon pursued. 

"Darkness Void!" Harpymon fired an orb of energy at Diamon.

"Diamond Ray!" Diamon's counterattack created a huge explosion that temporarily blinded Davis and the others. 

_If this keeps up, Davis thought, __those two could wipe out the whole area. But we can't back down. This is our best chance. "Diamon! Go for it!"_

********

The darkness continued to consume her. She could feel herself slipping away, moment by moment. It was an odd sensation to have one's mind drain away. She couldn't tell if she liked it or not. 

As she her thoughts left her, she could feel another presence just beyond her own. It was even darker than the surrounding veil that consumed her. She could feel hunger radiating off it, as well as an urge to destroy. Was that the being known as ArcaDemon? Was that the being that fit the name she remembered? 

There was another presence just beyond ArcaDemon's. It was smaller and more repressed, but it somehow felt familiar. It was warm, and gentle. She felt better knowing it was there somehow. A name slowly began to come to her, but it was only comprised of two letters. JB? TF? TC? TK, his name was TK, her oldest friend. She could feel her mind beginning to awaken as memories returned of her friendship with this boy, and all the dangers they had shared. But those other names, the misspelled versions of TK, brought back another name to her mind. Davis, one of her best friends. She remembered how kind he'd been when TK had been taken away, and how much his friendship meant to her. 

Davis and TK, two of the most important people in her life. She couldn't stand the thought of losing either of them, and she was sure they'd be sad if she went away. _I… I can't go. I can't lose myself. People are waiting for me, and I want to be with them. A tiny light shown in the distance. She began to struggle and reach for the light while trying to resist the strong pull of the darkness. It was like swimming through a whirlpool of oil; yet somehow she could feel herself drawing closer to light. _

As she neared the light, her mind began to clear. _Kari, my name is Kari Kamiya. _

********

Demon couldn't stop laughing as his plans began to fall in place. ArcaDemon's organic sack was pulsating and bulging. He'd emerge within moments. Demon wasn't quite sure what would happen to the children of hope and light when their crest power was drained. They'd most likely die, but that was of small consequence. Their purpose would be served. _Soon, soon I shall rule over the Digital World and plunge everything into darkness once again. He'd been dreaming of this day since he had first been born as Apocalymon. _

Suddenly, the control spire holding the child of light stopped sending power to the organic sack. "What?" A pink light began to glow at its base. Demon was stunned to see the child of light emerge from the spire. She was once again glowing as her powers filled the cavern with a hideously bright light. The girl stumbled and dragged herself towards the other control spire. Most of her energy had been drained by the spires, yet she was still able to move. _She's stronger than I thought. Demon considered flying down to stop her, but he wanted to see just how much power she had. Besides, ArcaDemon was about to emerge, and it would be dangerous to be near the new Digimon while it remained uncontrolled. ArcaDemon had yet to feast on a strong power source outside of the two Digidestined and the Digivolution Crystal, which meant that he would still require a large amount of energy._

The child of light reached the second control spire and pressed against its surface. With the child of hope already held prisoner within, the spire did not try to pull the girl inside. Instead, its surface remained solid and blocked the child of light from entering. 

"TK!" The girl's light intensified. Demon had never seen such power. What had awakened such power within this girl? To Demon's amazement, the control spire's surface began to give way, and the girl's hand seeped inside the spire. 

********

TK floated both in darkness and despair. He'd failed. He'd sent Kari to her death inside the spire, and soon he would join her. Despite the control ruby on his forehead, tears were flowing down his face. _Kari, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you._ TK almost wanted to wish himself dead for what he'd done. How would he be able to face Tai, Davis, and the others after what he'd done? Not that he'd get the chance. He could feel his energy leaving him. He'd be gone very soon.

"TK!" A light shattered the darkness, and a hand in a pink glove reached for him. _Kari? TK could feel the ruby's control over him slacken, and he reached numbly for the outstretched hand. Even though he couldn't grasp Kari's hand, her very touch was warm and comforting. TK could feel Kari's grip become solid as she yanked back and began to pull him into the light._

********

Demon couldn't believe his eyes. Despite all the precautionary measures he'd taken, the child of light had pulled the child of hope out of the control spire and was now cradling his slumped body. The girl pressed her hand to the ruby, as if she was doing so without even thinking. The light around her hand intensified and the ruby shattered. 

The child of hope blinked a few times as his gaze returned to normal. "K-Kari?" The girl's light faded away.

The child of light let out a slight sob as she wrapped her arms around the boys neck and hugged him tightly. "I finally got you back." The child of hope returned the hug with tears in his eyes as well. Demon scowled, _Sickening. _

This was not good. The children of hope and light had been freed before their bodies had been drained of all their crest power. That meant that ArcaDemon's defenses against holy powers were not fully complete. Demon was just about to fly down and force them back into the spires when a loud ripping sound came from above. A large spider-like leg had broken through the organic sack. _YES! He has awakened! ArcaDemon poked yet another leg through the opening. Fluids gushed out of the sack onto the floor as ArcaDemon's container began to give way. __The end of the Digital World is at hand._

********

Kari felt so relieved to have TK back. It wasn't until she was holding him that she realized how much she missed her best friend. She leaned back, "Let's get outta here, TK. Davis and the others are waiting."

TK nodded, "Yeah, I'm ready to leave this place."

Suddenly, a loud shriek filled the chamber. Kari looked up to see a huge… something hanging from the half-torn embryonic sack. It was gray with slightly paler gray legs and a teardrop-shaped body. Its six thing legs ended in sharp points, almost like spikes, and two black oval-shaped eyes could be seen at the round front of the creature's body. _Is that ArcaDemon? He didn't look like much, but Kari wasn't willing to see how strong it really was. "Come on, TK!" She half-pulled, half-dragged TK towards the slope of the pit; but when she got there, she realized that there was no way up. There was no slope to the wall. Neither Kari nor TK had the strength to climb up that far, and Demon would be waiting for them at the top. It occurred to Kari that there wouldn't be any need for Demon to climb up since he could fly. And a vertical wall was perfect for containing ArcaDemon. Kari's first impulse was to slump to her knees and give up, but she knew that wasn't the answer. She'd given up too many times in the past, and TK was too weak from the spire's drain to protect himself. She'd have to look out for both of them since her powers had reenergized her somewhat. __I won't give up._

Demon laughed from up above. "You may have freed yourselves, but you are still going to die. ArcaDemon has awakened! Now, witness my ascension!" He raised his hand, and the entire cavern began to shudder and rumble. Dust fell from the ceiling and it felt as though the whole ground was moving upwards. 

Kari looked back at ArcaDemon as it began to untangle itself from the sack. Kari realized that this was too big for any one person to handle on her own. Kari didn't feel any shame over that, though. She realized that a person couldn't always handle every situation by himself or herself. That was why the Digidestined were a team. They all helped each other when one member was in too deep; and Kari was very deep in trouble. She needed her friends. _Davis, guys, I need your help. _

********

Diamon continued to attack Harpymon with all his strength. "Diamon Ray!" Harpymon dodged the blast of energy, which cut a small fissure in the ground. 

"Darkness Void!" Diamon used his shield claws to defend himself against Harpymon's blast. _This is taking too long. I have to finish this now!_

Harpymon dove in again with her claws outstretched. "There's no way you can beat me, Diamon!"

Diamon dodged Harpymon's claws, then used his thrusters to spin himself in midair and brought his diamond-armored shin up into Harpymon's head. The kick knocked Harpymon off balance. Diamon went into a flip and brought his feet up under Harpymon's chin. Harpymon began to fall, but Diamon speed up her decent by bringing his claws together and delivering a pile driver to Harpymon's gut. The dark crystal Digimon fell to the ground with a loud thud. _She's weakening, but I have to get the ruby off her first. Unfortunately, Diamon did see an opening for a shot at the ruby. Harymon was guarding it almost as if by instinct. __I'll have to create an opportunity myself. Diamon looked over at Stingmon, who was depositing Ken on the ground after surviving Harpymon's barrage. An idea formed in his mind._

Harpymon shrieked in anger and flew up again at Diamon. Diamon laughed, "It's over, Harpymon. I now have a secret weapon that you can't beat!" 

Harpymon lunged at him, "And what is that?"

"My friends!" Diamon slipped under Harpymon's blow and brought his arms up underneath Harpymon's armpits. He pinned her to his body as she struggled and thrashed about. "Stingmon!"

Realizing Diamon's plan, Stingmon took to the air and made a beeline strait for Harpymon's head. "Spiking Finish!"

"NOOO!!!" Harpymon continued to struggle, but Diamon held her fast. Stingmon's energy stinger glanced off of Harpymon's head and cleaved the control ruby in two. The ruby halves dissolved into clouds of data as they fell.

Harpymon screamed as dark energy flowed out of her. Her body began to glow dark purple and her form began to shrink back. When all the dark energy left her body, Gatomon could be seen where Harpymon had once been. Diamon quickly caught the small Digimon as she began to fall to the ground. "Gatomon, are you alright?"

Gatomon moaned and opened her eyes, "V-Veemon?"

Diamon smiled, "Close. How do you feel?"

"Lousy." Gatomon looked around, "Kari? Where's Kari?"

Diamon frowned, "Gatomon, don't you remember anything?" 

Gatomon held her head in her paws, "I remember… bits and pieces. It was like I was having one long nightmare. Diamon, I'm so sorry I attacked you. I couldn't control myself."

Diamon replied, "Don't worry about it. We know it wasn't your fault. Now, let's go get Kari." Diamon and Stingmon flew down to join the others.

"Welcome back, Gatomon!" Yolei picked up the cat-like Digimon and held her. 

Gatomon gave a weak smile. "Thank you, everyone."

Patamon came flying up, "Guys! Guys!"

Davis waved, "Patamon! There you are!" They'd lost sight of Patamon when Harpymon had fired her barrage.

Patamon said, "I got knocked back against a tree and was buried under some dirt. It took a little while to dig myself out. Gatomon, I'm glad you're back."

Gatomon nodded, "Same here."

Yolei asked, "Davis, how'd Veemon crystal digivolve without the Digivolution Crystal?" 

Davis shrugged. "I dunno. I just kept swearing that I wouldn't lose to Harpymon, and then Veemon just digivolved. I'm not sure how."

Cody pondered for a moment, "Maybe it was because you weren't willing to give up that Veemon could crystal digivolve. Maybe the link between you and Veemon that was established by the Crystal is still there. And if Veemon can crystal digivolve, then maybe our Digimon can do the same. We might not need the crystal anymore."

Davis opened his mouth to reply but all he could say was a surprised cry as the ground began to shake once again. "Not again!"

The Digidestined fell to their hands and knees as the ground began to shake and crumble. 

Yolei held up her D3. "Hawkmon, digivolve and get us out of here!"

Ken nodded, "Stingmon, you help too."

Suddenly, Stingmon flashed yellow and reverted back to Wormmon. "Um, Ken? I think I have a little problem."

"Why'd you revert, Wormmon? Digivolve again!"

"Wormmon digivolve to…"

"Hawkmon digivolve to…" The light from the D3's died out.

"Wormmon. I'm still Wormmon!"

"Hawkmon. Oh dear…"

Davis gapped, "What is going on here? Hawkmon and Wormmon can't go to Champion?" Another shudder ran through the ground and forced Davis to flop onto his belly. "Diamon, get us outta here!"

Diamon scooped up Davis and Cody, but he had no room for the others. "Yolei, try to make Hawkmon armor digivolve!"

"Right! Digiarmor energize!" 

"Hawkmon armor digivolve to… Halsemon: The Wings of Love!" Yolei and Ken hopped onto Halsemon's back while Patamon rode on Yolei's head. Halsemon lifted up and picked up Armadillomon with his claws. "Let's go!" Diamon and Halsemon took to the air just before the ground broke and tumbled into a black abyss.

The Digidestined watched from far above where the Dark Forest had once rested. Now, there was nothing but a huge black pit. Yolei blinked in disbelief. "The entire forest is gone…"

Cody pointed, "Look! Something coming up!"

A huge castle, built with jagged edges and spikes, rose from the darkness. It was easily as big as Ken's former mobile base, but the castle was more triangular in shape and had no open windows or doors. As the castle rose, clouds began to gather, turning the sky to an angry shade of black and gray. 

Yolei shivered, "I've got a bad feeling about this." 

Ken noticed, "That castle is made out of control spires! Demon must have used them to build his new base, and he reinstated their program to suppress digivolving. That's why Wormmon and Hawkmon couldn't digivolve into Champions."

Davis nodded. "So only armor Digimon can fight. Good thing Diamon isn't affected." 

Gatomon pointed, "Kari and TK are in there with Demon! I know just where they'll be. Please, guys, we have to save them now!" 

Davis said, "Okay, but we have to do this right. Ken, I want you and Wormmon to check in with the Vee and the Veedramon clan."

Ken nodded, "I understand. If Wormmon can't digivolve then we'll just be in the way."

Davis shook his head, "That's not it. I want to make sure that the Veedramon don't start blasting away while we're in there." Davis looked at Cody. "Cody, you and Armadillomon are going to wait outside of the castle. If we run into trouble, you'll be our backup."

Cody nodded, "You can count on me."

Davis said, "Diamon, Yolei, Halsemon, and I will go in along with Patamon and Gatomon. We'll need Halsemon to carry TK and Kari out. Everyone know what to do?" The others nodded. "Okay, then. Let's get our friends back!" 

********

ArcaDemon dangled over the pit from the remains of its sack as it let out another ear-piercing shriek. Kari stood in front of the still-weakened TK, although she felt like she might collapse herself. Demon stood over them, laughing.

Kari watched the newly born Digimon above her. ArcaDemon looked from TK and Kari to Demon. It seemed to be sizing them up. _It's looking for the highest power source to consume. _With another loud cry, ArcaDemon leaped at his creator will all of his spidery legs poised to strike.

Demon stopped laughing and held up his palm. "Chaos Fire!" The ensure inferno hit ArcaDemon head-on and knocked the creature to the ground. To Kari's amazement, there wasn't even a burn mark on ArcaDemon. His baby form was strong enough to withstand a Mega's attack. _We're in big trouble_. If this creature reached full power, it would mean the end of the Digital World.

Demon said, "Now, now, my pet. You must first feast upon the children of hope and light to gain more strength. You will be free as soon as you are more compliant." ArcaDemon simply shrieked again and jumped at the wall. It clawed and jumped against the vertical rocks and control spire material, but it could not climb up. Apparently, ArcaDemon didn't have the strength to escape just yet. _Demon planned this from the start. He knew that ArcaDemon would turn on him at the first chance it had; so he purposely left it weak at birth. He'll gain control of ArcaDemon and then feed it other Digimon so that it will gain power. Once ArcaDemon obeyed him, there'd be nothing for Demon to fear. _That was where Avatar would have come in. _We have to destroy ArcaDemon before Demon gains complete control over it._

It was a good idea, but Kari wasn't sure how she destroy such a powerful Digimon. All she could do was protect TK and hope that the others would show up soon. 

Meanwhile, ArcaDemon had given up on trying to reach Demon and had decided to go for the second prize, Kari and TK. It skittered to left as it watched Kari and TK with hungry eyes. Kari stood between ArcaDemon and TK and held her arms wide in a protective stance. "Stay back."

TK said, "Kari, get away! That things gonna kill you!"

Kari didn't look over her shoulder. "If I move, it'll kill you instead. I'm not going to lose you again." ArcaDemon crouched down, poised to strike. A large gap opened along ArcaDemon's back to reveal a set of tiny teeth. To Kari's surprise, it's mouth was located on the top of the creature. ArcaDemon screamed as it moved forward to devour TK and Kari. Although she was trying to be brave, Kari could feel the fear rising inside of her. _Davis, where are you?_

A loud rumbling drifted in from the opposite side of the chamber. With a crash, a section of the wall fell away and a shinning blur dove in strait towards TK and Kari. "WHAT?" was all that Kari could get out before something scooped her and TK up. Kari suffered a momentary feeling of vertigo as she soared up away from ArcaDemon's grasp and onto the ledge above. 

Kari stumbled to her knees when her unknown savior let her down. She looked over to her right. TK was on his hands and knees too. He looked a little pale and was thoroughly exhausted, but he was alive. Kari looked behind her. "Diamon?"

Diamon smiled down at her, "Hi, Kari. Sorry we're late."

"Kari! TK!" Kari looked over to see Davis, Yolei, Gatomon, and Patamon flying in on Halsemon. ArcaDemon screamed and jumped at them, but it was too low to reach them.

Yolei spotted the strange Digimon below them. "What is _that_?"

Kari stood up and waved, "Davis! Yolei! You made it!" 

Demon scowled, "Annoying pests." He took a step towards TK and Kari, but Diamon blocked his path in a heartbeat. Demon smirked, "The crystal Digimon that started it all. How did you digivolve without the Crystal?"

Diamon said, "You've got bigger things to worry about."

"Such as?"

"Me." Diamon took up a fighting stance. 

Halsemon touched down and Gatomon leaped up in to Kari's arms. "KARI!"

Kari wrapped her arms around Gatomon and sank back to the floor with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Gatomon, I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

Gatomon smiled with tears in her eyes as well. "Only if you'll forgive me too. I missed you so much, Kari."

"TK!" Patamon flew over to his best friend. TK gave Patamon a hug so strong it could have shattered Diamon's armor. 

"Patamon, I'm so glad to see you again. I was going out of my mind worrying about you." 

Patamon said, "I never wanna lose you again, TK. I missed you too much."

Davis smiled at both of them. "I'm glad you two are back."

TK said, "Thanks, Davis. Thanks for coming to save us. You too, Yolei."

Kari smiled at Davis, "You brought Gatomon back, just like you promised. Thank you, Davis." 

Yolei said, "I hate to break up a tender moment here, but what the heck is going on? What is that thing in the pit?" 

Kari replied, "That's ArcaDemon. It's a super-powerful Digimon created by Demon. If he reaches full power, he'll destroy everything!"

Before anyone else could comment, a large explosion blossomed near the Digidestined. Diamon and Demon were battling hand-to-hand and pushing both their powers to their limits. To Kari's surprise, Demon was actually holding his own against Diamon.

"Diamond Ray!"

"Chaos Fire!" The two energy attacks collided and mixed together before expanding into a plume of fire and smoke. Diamon jumped over the flames and attacked from above, but Demon was not standing where he should have been. "I'm here." Diamon looked over his shoulder just in time to feel Demon deliver a pile driver to his back. Diamon fell to the ground but managed to rebound off the floor and land on his feet.

Leaping back at Demon, Diamon brought his claws up. "Gold Claw!" Diamon raked his claws against Demons face. Demon cried out as black blood oozed out from his forehead. "You will pay for that! Chaos Fire!" Diamon was thrown back in a river of fire.

"I can't believe it," said Davis. "Demon is actually standing up to Diamon. I didn't think anyone could beat a crystal Digimon!"

Kari said, "Demon isn't a normal Digimon. He's the reborn form of Apocalymon, one of the most powerful Digimon of all. Diamon might not be able to win."

Davis shook his head, "No, Diamon _can_ win. We've beaten the odds before and we're gonna do it again! Diamon, kick his butt!" As Davis spoke, a light shinned over his heart. Diamon's armor began to shine in tandem with Davis' heart.

Demon dove down at Diamon, who still lay prone on the ground. Diamon's armor gave a bright burst of light and he used his thrusters to flip backwards just in time to dodge Demon's punch. Diamon landed on the ground and brought his claw shields up. "Diamond Ray!" The beam shot out twice as powerful as before and screamed in at Demon. 

Demon brought his arms up to block the blast, but the force of the beam pushed him back towards the pit. Davis shouted, "Diamon, keep it up!" Diamon's beam grew even more powerful as his armor began to shine even more brightly. Demon was still shielding himself, but his strength was obviously ebbing. 

Suddenly, Demon vanished as he fell over the ledge leading down to ArcaDemon's pit. Diamon's beam shot out and punched through the Control Spire wall as if it were tissue paper. Diamon's armor ceased to shine and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Wow." Kari whispered, "He beat Demon. Even without the crystal, Diamon was able to gain strength from Davis' stubbornness."

Davis frowned, "Stubbornness? Don't you mean, 'strength of will?'"

Kari shook her head. "No, I think stubborn describes you pretty well."

Yolei nodded, "Yeah. Stubborn sounds good to me."

TK said, "Me too."

"Ouch…" Davis' shoulders slumped.

Kari patted him on the back. "Davis, your stubbornness isn't a bad thing. You saved us all. Thank you." It was then that Kari heard the scream.

********

Demon's head still pounded from the energy of Diamon's attack. _Such power. Is this the power of a crystal Digimon? When ArcaDemon digivolves, his power will…_Demon's line of thought trailed off as he realized where he was. 

ArcaDemon let out a shrill cry of hunger as he jumped at Demon and pinned him to the ground. ArcaDemon's large mouth opened along the back of its body, and long strands of what appeared to silk sprang out and wrapped around Demon's body. The strands glowed red and Demon could feel his strength leave him. _NO! I am the master! I should not die._ "NOOOOOO!!!!" 

Demon returned to the darkness from whence he had been born.

********

Kari heard Demon's scream. It was the cry of a dying man in mortal terror. Kari remembered ArcaDemon's hunger. _He's already dead by now_.

Davis said, "Diamon, let's go squash that bug, ArcaDemon."

"NO!" Kari's shout gained everyone's attention. "Davis, you can't have Diamon fight ArcaDemon, we don't know what it's capable of. Demon said that ArcaDemon would be the most powerful Digimon in existence, and he absorbed the power of the Digivolution Crystal. That means that ArcaDemon will be the most powerful crystal Digimon as well."

Davis said, "Then we should take care of it before it has a chance to crystal digivolve."

Kari shook her head, "We need to attack ArcaDemon in unison. We'll need Ken and Cody's help as well. Let's go get them before we fight ArcaDemon."

Davis nodded reluctantly. "Okay. We'll go get Ken and Cody; but then we're gonna come right back and finish this!" 

A loud shriek brought everyone's attention to the ledge. ArcaDemon's legs were reaching up over the edge as it pulled itself out of the pit. It was already far stronger than it had been at birth. 

Kari shouted, "Let's go. NOW!" She hopped up on Halsemon with Yolei, Gatomon, and Patamon. Diamon scooped up Davis and TK and they flew down the tunnel. Gatomon directed them to the hidden exit using her memories of Harpymon. The exit looked like any other wall, except that it rippled and faded as the Digidestined passed through it. _An illusion. Clever._ As the Digidestined reached the sunlight, Kari couldn't stop her heart from beating so fast. Deep down, Kari knew. _Things are going to get worse before they get better._

********

Ken pulled out his d-terminal as the e-mail alert chimed. Vee looked down, "What is it, Ken?"

Ken replied, "It's from Davis. He and Yolei have rescued TK and Kari. We can destroy the castle now." Ken could already see the other Digidestined moving towards them on their Digimon. 

Vee smiled. "Excellent." He let out a loud roar to signal the attack. Instantly, the sky became aglow as almost a hundred V-Nova Blasts rained down destruction on Demon's base. 

Ken took a moment to admire the organization of the Veedramon. They were the most family-based Digimon he'd ever seen. _This would make a fascinating paper. Too bad no one would ever believe me…_ Ken returned his attention to the control spire castle. 

The V-Nova Blasts broke off section after section of the castle. It's walls began to tumble and dissolve into broken data as the structure collapsed under the barrage. Several blasts struck the base of the castle and the structure began to fall under its own weight. Within moments, the castle was nothing more than boulders and gravel. The control spires had all been destroyed.

Ken let out a deep breath. Finally, he was free. All the control spires, his creations, his mistake, his sins, were gone. _Now I can move on_. He allowed himself a brief smile and went to meet the others with Wormmon. 

********

"2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate? Us! Us!" Davis and Yolei chanted as they jumped for joy. Cody was talking with TK, who was slowly regaining his strength. Ken stood slightly aloof and admired the pile of boulders that remained after the control spires were gone. All the Digidestined felt relieved and overjoyed at the destruction of the control spires and Demon's defeat. They have finally accomplished the mission that they had begun while battling the Digimon Emperor.

Kari, however, was not yet ready to celebrate. "Guys, I hate to break things up, but we're not done yet. We still have to defeat ArcaDemon."

Davis waved a hand. "C'mon, Kari, ArcaDemon can't be alive. You saw what the Veedramon did. Even if ArcaDemon survived the explosions, he'd still be crushed under all that rubble.

Ken nodded, "It does seem unlikely that he'd survive."

Kari shook her head. "If ArcaDemon is everything that Demon said it'd be, then it can't be dead yet." 

As if to affirm Kari's doubts, a loud shriek came from the remains of Demon's stronghold. ArcaDemon rolled a boulder aside and jumped out from the ruins. Davis' jaw hit the floor. "It's still alive???"

Kari said, "You can't underestimate it, Davis. It's supposed to be even stronger than Demon. It killed a Mega even though it's only at its infant stage."

TK noted, "That's one big infant. He's almost as big as Pegasusmon." 

Davis said, "It's high time we squashed this bud. Diamon, you ready?"

Diamon raised his claws. "You bet!" He flew in at ArcaDemon.

Kari said, "Davis! I keep telling you that we have to be careful with ArcaDemon. We can't underestimate him. "

Davis replied, "Kari, Diamon can beat anybody. And it'd be better if we beat ArcaDemon now before he has the chance to digivolve, right?"

Kari nodded hesitantly, "I guess…"

Davis continued, "And Diamon is the strongest Digimon we have on hand. So I think he should take the first shot. If he and I run into trouble, you guys can bail us out. Okay?"

Kari could only say, "I still have doubts."

TK said, "Let's at least try. Davis is right, Diamon is our best chance." 

Davis ran after Diamon, who began his assault on ArcaDemon. "Diamond Ray!" The bright white beam soared in and was dead-on in its aim. But just as the beam was about to strike, an invisible shield sprung up in front of ArcaDemon and deflected the blast. The Digidestined gaped in amazement as ArcaDemon jumped up and rammed Diamon in the chest, knocking him to the ground. 

Cody said, "That's amazing! He blocked Diamon's attack!"

Yolei shivered, "You mean he's stronger than a crystal Digimon?"

Kari remembered Demon throwing the Digivolution Crystal to ArcaDemon's sack. "No. He _is_ a Crystal Digimon that is powered by the pain and loneliness of Apocalymon, and has a resistance to holy and light attacks. Diamon can't compete with that kind of power."

ArcaDemon landed on top of Diamon and pinned him beneath ArcaDemon's body. Diamon struggled to shove the evil Digimon off, but could not force him away. ArcaDemon's mouth opened again, and the silk fibers wrapped around Diamon and began to drain his energy away.

"Diamon!" Davis ran to help his partner. ArcaDemon looked at Davis and flung another set of threads that wrapped around Davis' body. The threads glowed red and Davis' knees began to weaken. Kari starred in horror as his face grew paler and his muscles began to weaken. 

"DAVIS!" 

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*The final battle begins and ends in the next chapter of "Caring Hearts." Coming soon, hopefully.*

Author's Note: Man, I really seem to put Davis in a lot of near-death situations, don't I? First he's about to be killed by Harpymon, now he's getting drained by ArcaDemon. I guess I like the concept of a suffering hero who somehow survives no matter what the odds. 

ArcaDemon's infant form is taken directly from the V-Tamers manga. In V-Tamers, ArcaDemon is the most powerful Digimon ever. His infant form defeated and absorbed Piedmon so that he could digivolve into his Rookie form. His Rookie form was able to defeat Seraphimon, and then he digivolved to Champion and Ultimate. If you'd like to see pictures of ArcaDemon, you can look in the "Tamers" section of Megchan's message board (www.megchan.com/digimon/bbs.html), which were posted by the very generous "Canaryangemon." ArcaDemon's infant and Rookie stages can be seen when you join Megchan's mailing list. It's free to join, and since Megchan is the person who translates Digimon's scripts for the dubbers, she's always one of the first people to have accurate information.

I promise that it will be the absolutely final chapter of the Crystal Digimon Saga. In the meantime, I'd appreciate some reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 


	6. Finale

Caring Hearts

Caring Hearts

Chapter 6: Finale

by Silver

*Disclaimer that I have written more times than I'd care to count: If I've said it before, I've said it a thousand times, I don't own any rights to Digimon or its creatures and characters.*

Author's Note: *Sob* The last chapter of "Caring Hearts" and the Crystal Digimon Saga. I'm all choked up. I'm glad I was able to finish this saga, but it's also good to be done. I'm ready to move on to other stories. 

Special thanks go to ShannonL who gave me the inspiration for Gatomon's true crystal form. I also want to give an extra special thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed all my stories. Even though I write for the fun of writing, I take great pleasure in receiving feedback, so I am very thankful that so many people were generous enough to review my stories. Thanks, everyone!

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ArcaDemon's threads turned to an even darker shade of blood-red as they sucked the life out of Davis and Diamon. Davis was already slumping to his knees and the light from Diamon's armor was fading.

Yolei said, "Halsemon, let's go!"

Cody looked at his partner. "You too, Armadillomon! Digiarmor energize!"

"Armadillomon armor digivolve to… Digmon: The Drill of Knowledge!" The two armor Digimon charged at ArcaDemon. "Gold Rush!" Digmon fired his drills at ArcaDemon. The drill missiles connected squarely with the infant Digimon's body, but when the smoke cleared it became clear that ArcaDemon had not been phased by the attack. He didn't even seem to have noticed it.

"Tempest Wing!" Halsemon fired two blades of red energy at the fibers holding Davis. The energy blades struck against the threads that seemed as delicate as silk, yet the attack could neither break them nor free Davis.

Appearing to become annoyed, ArcaDemon unleashed another bundle of silken threads at the two armor Digimon. Halsemon and Digmon jumped back just in time to avoid being ensnared themselves. 

TK managed to stand up, despite the fact he was still weak from his crest power being drained. "Patamon, you have to save Davis. Go for it!"

The small Digimon nodded, "Right! Patamon digivolve to… Angemon!" Angemon flew in with his staff held high. He brought in down on ArcaDemon's head. His staff shattered with a loud crack as it connected with ArcaDemon's armor-like skin. Angemon tried to fly back for a long-range attack, but ArcaDemon brought one of his legs up and batted Angemon aside as if he were a rag doll. Angemon fell to the ground and reverted back to Patamon. 

"Spiking Finish!" Stingmon dove in and tried to cut the threads holding Davis as well. He had no better luck than Halsemon had. Stingmon aborted his attack as ArcaDemon tried to capture him as well. 

Davis and Diamon were having troubling breathing now. Davis' face had gone from pale white to light gray. Kari could only stare in terror for a moment. _He's dying. He's really dying…_

Davis had been so kind to her through all her ordeals. He'd comforted her over TK and Gatomon while refusing to give in to his own doubts and he'd kept his promise to bring Gatomon back. He'd always been there for her, no matter how bad the situation had been or how mean she sometimes acted towards him. Even though he had an ego, Davis was a very selfless person. Kari couldn't stand the thought of him dying. _I can't lose him, he's one of my best friends._ It was then that Kari realized just how much she cared about all her friends. She had felt this way when she had rescued TK, and now she wanted to save Davis more than anything else in the world. An Ultimate Digimon like Angewomon wouldn't stop ArcaDemon, but maybe a second crystal Digimon could. If Davis could get Veemon to crystal digivolve on his own, maybe Kari could do the same. The thought of bringing Harpymon back terrified her, but Kari knew it was either risk a digivolution or lose Davis forever. _I have to try again. Please let this work_. "Gatomon, I-I have to ask a very hard thing of you."

Gatomon nodded, "I know, Kari. Let's try. I'm willing to try and crystal digivolve again."

Kari nodded and closed her eyes. _Concentrate._ She focused on her feelings of friendship with Davis, TK, and the others. They all meant so much to her. She wished with all her heart that she had the power to protect them. She didn't want to lose anymore people. She'd already lost Greymon, she would not fail her friends again. Kari could feel a small flicker of heat in her heart. She focused even more on her feelings and channeled them into her heart. _Please, give me the power to save the people I love. I want to stay with them and protect them_. The small flicker became a solid ball of heat. Kari opened her eyes and saw that her chest was glowing. _It's now or never!_ "Crystal armor energize!" 

Gatomon began to glow bright white as her body began to change. "Gatomon crystal digivolve to… Tieramon: The Beauty of Caring!" The light faded to reveal Gatomon's new form.

Tieramon bore a very strong resemblance to Nefertimon. She had a lone white lion-like body with a tail that ended in a purple fluff of fur. All four of her legs were equal in size with bright red claws. Her armor was also styled like Nefertimon's, but it was fashioned with sharp angles and was made of sapphire with silver trim. A silver design, similar to that of Nefertimon, was fastened on her chest. Tieramon also wore sapphire and silver shin-guards on all four of her legs. Two long white wings extended from her back.

Her head was just like Harpymon's, with the except that it was much kinder. Harpymon had possessed great beauty while having a cruel look to her face. Tieramon's face looked just like Angewomon without her helmet on. She had long flowing blond hair and bright sapphire-blue eyes. There was a kind look on her face, and a small gold tiara adorned her forehead. _She's beautiful_. Kari starred in awe. 

"I am Tieramon. As Gatomon I harness the power of a caring heart to crystal digivolve. My crimson paw can cut through anything, and my prism beam will have my enemies seeing stars." Tieramon smiled down at Kari. "Kari, because you care about your friends so much, I have been able to crystal digivolve correctly. Thank you." Tieramon jumped up and flew towards ArcaDemon and Davis. 

Kari whispered, "She's incredible…"

Ken said, "She looks like a manticore. They're mythological creatures with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bat."

"A bat?" Yolei frowned. "But Tieramon doesn't have bat wings."

Ken shrugged, "I never said she was an exact copy of a manticore."

Tieramon began her attack on ArcaDemon. "Crimson Paw!" Her front paws glowed bright red as she sliced down at the threads holding Davis. There was a flash of energy as the claws connected with the threads. After a moment of straining, Tieramon broke through the threads and severed ArcaDemon's hold over Davis. Yolei and Ken ran in and helped Davis limp away from the fight.

ArcaDemon screamed in rage and pivoted to get a better view of Tieramon as she flew in a loop to make another pass. That move was a mistake. As ArcaDemon turned to watch Tieramon, Diamon managed to free one claw and found the strength to press it against ArcaDemon's belly. "D-Diamond Ray!" The beam was less than half as strong as usual, but Diamon's attack succeeded in lifting ArcaDemon off of him and propelling him into the air. 

Tieramon dove in. "Crimson Paw!" She looped underneath ArcaDemon and cut the threads holding Diamon. ArcaDemon fell back to the ground a far distance from Diamon. Despite Diamon's best shot, ArcaDemon still remained unscathed. 

With another war cry, ArcaDemon jumped at Tieramon, intent upon feeding on a stronger power source. Tieramon's armor began to glow a rainbow of varying colors. "Prism Beam!" A blast of energy emitted from her body and struck ArcaDemon head on. While it could not inflict physical damage, the force of Tieramon's attack drove the evil Digimon back to the ground and kept him pinned down. 

Meanwhile, the Digidestined where tending to Davis and Diamon, who had been pulled back by Ken, Yolei, Digmon, and Stingmon. The color was slowly returning to his face, and his was having an easier time of breathing. 

Yolei asked, "Are you hurt?"

Davis coughed, "Only my pride."  
Yolei smiled, "No big loss."

Davis smirked, "When I get my strength back, you are _so_ dead." He looked at Kari. "Way to go."

Kari frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You got Gatomon to crystal digivolve, and without the crystal's help to boot." 

Kari smiled, "I was worried about you. I couldn't stand to lose such a good friend."

TK said, "We should get Davis out of here until he regains his strength."

Davis weakly shook his head. "No. We have to stay here."

Cody said, "Davis, you're in no condition for a fight, neither is Diamon."

Davis tried to lean forward. Kari helped him up. Davis said, "I finally get what Kari's been trying to tell us about ArcaDemon. He's too powerful for even a crystal Digimon. We have to stop him here and now or he'll digivolve and destroy everything. I know that Diamon has the strength to keep fighting, and so do I!" A light began to glow over Davis' heart again. 

Diamon also began to glow. He rolled onto his belly and slowly pushed him self up while growing stronger with each passing moment. Digmon and Stingmon helped him to his feet, but by that time he was already near full power. Diamon looked at Davis. "I can keep fighting, as long as you don't quit." 

Davis nodded, "I won't. Go help Tieramon." Diamon nodded at took off. 

Kari looked at TK and the others. "We'll need your help too."

Yolei blinked, "_US?_"

Kari said, "If Davis and I can get our Digimon to crystal digivolve without the digivolution crystal itself, then all of you can as well. We need to attack ArcaDemon as a unified force if we're going to win this." The others looked hesitant.

Davis said, "Kari's right. We made it this far because we acted as a team. We never would have survived the Ancient Valley, or beaten GrandKuwagamon, or rescued Patamon from Avatar if we hadn't worked together. Sure, in the end it was a crystal Digmon that finished each battle, but none of us would have lived long enough to use the Crystal if the everyone else hadn't chipped in as well."

Kari added, "Tieramon is holding her own against ArcaDemon, but she can't destroy it. I doubt Diamon will be able to stop it either. We need all our power." 

Tieramon was still playing cat and mouse with ArcaDemon. As the evil Digimon continued to shriek and jump at her, Tieramon continued to fly out of its grasp and used her attack to further annoy ArcaDemon. Her blasts were ineffective against ArcaDemon's shield, but they did serve as a distraction for the beast. ArcaDemon cried out again and lunged at Tieramon.

"Gold Claw!" Diamon flew in and slashed at ArcaDemon's underbelly. The blow sent ArcaDemon flying off-kilter, but there was still no physical damage. Diamon touched down beside Tieramon. "Mind if I join in?"

Tieramon replied, "Be my guest. Prism Beam!" 

"Diamond Ray!" The two shinning beams of light merged into one blast and struck ArcaDemon between the eyes. There was a blinding flash as ArcaDemon vanished in an explosion. 

TK asked, "Did they get it?" The answer came when the smoke cleared.

ArcaDemon was still stand. This time, however, his body was charred and smoking. His defenses had fallen for a brief instant. Realization hit Kari. _Because TK and I escaped from the Control Spires before they could fully drain our power, ArcaDemon's defenses against light and holy attacks are incomplete. We can still overwhelm him_. She called out, "Tieramon! Diamon! Keep combining your attacks and you'll be able to hurt him!"

Just then, a loud hissing came from ArcaDemon. It was rhythmic and short and it repeated over and over. It took Kari a moment to realize that ArcaDemon was laughing. Fear welled up in her gut as ArcaDemon began to glow a dark purple energy. "NO! It's crystal digivolving!" 

ArcaDemon's body vanished in the darkness, but the aura continued to grow. Within moments the evil power had grown to the size of a large building. Two black wings with purple lining and ruby-red spikes, similar in design to Demon's, jutted out from the darkness. A long gray tail emerged next as the aura began to fade. Kari finally saw ArcaDemon's crystal form.

It was massive. It rivaled VenomMyotismon in terms of size, and probably had five times as much power. Its body was medium gray and it wore obsidian and ruby armor. Its head was still teardrop-shaped but it now had two dark gray horns curving backwards and a mane of long white hair. Half of its head was covered with a pitch-black helmet with two fangs curving down over his mouth. Its eyes were blood red, and a bright ruby located on his forehead gave the illusion of a third eyes. Its body was large and oval-shaped with two breastplates covering its chest. An inverted ruby pentagram was stylized on each breastplate. Its waist was incredibly small and slender. It curved in an "S" shape where it connected with ArcaDemon's hips, which were also protected by obsidian armor. Its arms and legs were long and muscular. He wore shoulderpads with ruby spikes. Ruby spikes were also located on its shin guards. Its hands were encased in gauntlets, and it had five long fingers on each hand that were as sharp as knives.

ArcaDemon stretched out its long arms and let out a sigh in a very masculan voice. Kari hadn't been sure until that moment on what ArcaDemon's gender would be, but she knew now that ArcaDemon was definitely a "he." 

Tieramon and Diamon flew up and began their attacks once again. "Prism Beam!"

"Diamond Ray!" The two attacks merged again, but this time the shots bounced off of ArcaDemon's body without leaving a scratch. _His defenses are stronger now. We'll need even more power_. 

ArcaDemon didn't pay either crystal Digimon any attention. There was no mouth on ArcaDemon's head, yet he spoke to himself, "At last… At long last I have reached full perfection." He surved the area around him and gave a small spitting sound in distaste. "Such an ugly, imperfect world. It is undeserving of my grandure."

Cody shouted at him, "What are you talking about?"

ArcaDemon ignored the Digidestined and held up one hand. "Dark Oblivion!" A sphere of black energy formed above his hand, which he tossed towards the horizon. A small mushroom cloud shot up as the dark sphere collided with the ground. The shock wave was upon the Digidestined before they even realized it was coming. Digimon and Digidestined tried to shield their faces from flying rocks, plants, and gravel. Overhead, a large number of trees that had been uprooted and carried by the shockwave careened towards the Rock Maze. 

Kari looked to where the sphere had hit after the winds died down. A large smoking crater now defaced the landscape. _All that power in just one shot. He's a monster… _Kari shouted up at ArcaDemon, "Why did you do that?!"

Finally, ArcaDemon registered the Digidestined's presence. "Ah, Digidestined. It is you who I have to thank for my perfection."

Ken demanded, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It was the power from the crests of hope and light that awakened me and gave me power. And the energy from the Digidestined of courage and friendship along with his crystal Digimon has given me the power to crystal digivolve. Everthing that I am I owe to you." He chuckled. "All this time you've been fighthing to protect the Digital World and became stronger with each conflict you faced. But, ultimately, it was your own power that brought about the Digital World's destruction. How ironic." 

Davis found the strength to shout, "We're not beaten yet!" On cue, Diamon and Harpymon attacked again. 

"Gold Claw!"

"Crimson Paw!"

Both attacks bounced off harmlessly against ArcaDemon's armor. He laughed, "I am too powerful to be wounded by such pitiful attacks. My creator, Demon, made sure that I would have a defense against every conceivable attack. I am immune to fire, water, physical, and mental attacks. And thanks to the children of hope and light, I do not suffer from holy attacks either."

Kari whispered to the others. "That's not totally true. His defenses against holy and light attacks are limited, but we need a large amount of power to break them down." Kari's implication was clear to the others. Clear as crystal.

ArcaDemon continued, "Demon wanted to use me as a tool for conquering the Digital World, but I have different plans. When I absorbed Demon's powers, I also gained his sense of consciousness and reason. I also gained access to his pain and lonliness, which have given me untold strength! I have decided that I want to be alone. No one else is deserving of being near my perfection. I will eradicate the Digital World and find pleasure in being alone again."

Yolei called up, "But you'll be lonely if everyone is gone."

ArcaDemon nodded, "Yes. And in that loneliness my powers will only grow more powerful!" 

"We won't allow that. Diamond Ray!" Diamon fired another pulse of energy at ArcaDemon. The towering dark crystal Digimon blocked the attack with one hand.

"Pathetic." He brought one claw down on Diamon before he even had the chance to move. Diamon collided with the ground, forming a small crater upon impact. 

"Dark Oblivion!" ArcaDemon fired a small burst of black energy from his fingertip at Tieramon. She flew away from the blast but it detonated in the air and sent her careening downward. 

Halsemon and Digmon jumped forward. "Tempest Wing!"

"Gold Rush!" Their attacks bounced off ArcaDemon like a pebble that bounced off a steel wall. 

ArcaDemon didn't even bother to use an energy attack on the two armor Digimon. Instead, he brought his foot down on the ground with a loud stomp. The sock-wave knocked both Halsemon and Digmon off their feet and forced them to revert to their rookie forms. The Digidestined were also forced onto the ground by the indirect attack. 

ArcaDemon took another step towards the Digidestined. "I will reward you for your help the only way I know how: by allowing you to feel the full force of my perfection!" His body began to glow with dark energy.

"V-Wing Blade!" An explosion sprung up on ArcaDemon's back. ArcaDemon snarled and staggered forward slightly before turning around to face his attacker. Vee floated in the air with his claws ready for battle. 

ArcaDemon said, "You dare defy me, you imperfect weakling?!" 

Vee replied, "You are a creature of destruction that has no place in our world. For the sake of the Digital World and the human world my clan will destroy you!" Vee's speech was punctuated by a storm of V-Nova Blasts shooting up from the ground and raining down on ArcaDemon.

ArcaDemon laughed as the blasts of energy bounced against his body without causing any harm. "Foolish weaklings! Dark Oblivion!" He tossed a sphere of dark energy at the Veedramon ranks. Vee and his clan scattered as the fell towards them. Veedramon were tossed in the air like pebbles in a storm as the explosion tore another crater into the landscape.

Kari looked at TK, Cody, and Yolei. "Guys, you have to get your Digimon to crystal digivolve now while Vee and his clan distract ArcaDemon!" 

Cody frowned, "But we've never done that before. I'm not even sure where to start!"

Davis said, "You didn't know how to crystal digivolve in the first place, remember? We each learned how to do it by focusing our emotions! Try and do that again."

Yolei said, "I'm not sure I can."

TK shook his head, "No, we _can_ do it. We can't beat ArcaDemon unless we stand together as a team." A light began to shine over TK's heart. "We made it this far because we stuck together as a team. I wouldn't have been able to get Patamon back from Avatar if it hadn't been for all of you. I know we can win this! We just have to work together!" Patamon's body began to glow pure white. TK looked down at the light in his heart and smiled. "Here goes… Crystal armor energize!"

"Patamon crystal digivolve to… Shinmon: Shinning Faith!" Patamon's crystal form flew over to join Tieramon and Diamon. 

Cody looked at ArcaDemon. "I still think it's wrong to kill a living creature, but if we let ArcaDemon win he'll destroy everything. I'm willing to take responsibility for my actions in order to save both worlds. I know that's the right thing to do!" Cody's heart began to glow, as did Armadillomon. "Crystal armor energize!" 

"Armadillomon crystal digivolve to… Creeyamon: Firm Justice!" 

Yolei looked at the others. "I-I don't want to hurt anyone. I can't stand the idea of killing another living creature. But… I don't want to let any of you down, and I certainly don't want anyone else to die. ArcaDemon is a living creature, no matter how he was born, so I can't simply kill him without thinking."

Davis nodded, "But can you let him kill other Digimon? It's a hard choice, I know, but it's one you've gotta make."

Yolei lowered her head. "I know. I'm going to hate it, but I'm willing to take responsibility just like Cody is. I'll fight to protect my friends and my family and both worlds! I just hope I can be forgiven for what I have to do…" Yolei's heart began to shine as well. "Crystal armor energize!" 

"Hawkmon digivolve to… Rocmon: Crystal Purity!" 

Kari smiled, "Alright, guys! You did it! You got your Digimon to crystal digivolve without the Digivolution Crystal."

All five crystal stood ready to fight ArcaDemon. Creeyamon and Rocmon towered over the smaller forms of Tieramon, Shinmon, and Diamon. Diamon gave the order, "Everyone, attack at the same time!" They all plunged into the final battle.

"Diamond Ray!"

"Tempest Storm!"

"Emerald Destroyer!"

"Shinning Strike!"

"Prism Beam!" All five attacks struck dead-on. ArcaDemon fell off balance and toppled to the ground. 

"Great shot!" Davis cheered as his strength returned. "Now, finish him off!"

The five crystal Digimon fired their attacks again. "Dark Oblivion!" ArcaDemon's counterattack dwarfed the other blasts of energy and collided with them in a huge mass of fire and smoke. The Digidestined were thrown to the ground by the force of the blast.

"He's tough." Ken winced. Stingmon helped him to his feet. "We're useless in this fight. Maybe I should have tried to get you to crystal digivolve too, Stingmon."

"A little late for experimenting, Ken. We'll just have to work with what we have." 

Yolei said, "How are we supposed to beat this guy when he can resist all our attacks? There's gotta be some way we can beat him!"

Kari said, "We need to focus all our attacks on one part of his body so that we can punch through his defenses. But to do that we need even more power."

TK snapped his fingers, "That's it! Focus! Kari, do you remember how we beat Myotismon? Before he became VenomMyotismon, that is."

Kari nodded, "All our Digimon gave their power to Angewomon so that she could defeat Myotismon."

Cody's eyes brightened, "I get what you're saying TK. If all our Digimon focus their power into one attack, we can punch through ArcaDemon's defenses." 

TK said, "Everyone, have you're Digimon focus their power through Tieramon. She'll give the final attack."

Davis nodded, "You hear that, Diamon?"

Diamon nodded, "Gotcha."

Cody asked, "Ready, Creeyamon?" 

Creeymon said, "Ready and willing."

"You too, Rocmon!"

"Understood, Yolei."

"Give it all you've got, Shinmon!" 

"I will, TK."

Kari looked at her partner. "Let's do this for Greymon and all the other Digimon Demon has hurt. Okay, Tieramon?"

Tieramon replied, "I'll give it everything I have, Kari." 

All five crystal Digimon began to glow their respective colors. Diamon shone in bright white, Rocmon became ruby red, Creeyamon shown in emerald green, Shinmon produced an amber aura, and Tieramon illuminated with a sapphire blue light. 

Diamon gave the order. "All together! Diamond Ray!"

"Tempest Storm!"

"Emerald Destroyer!"

"Shinning Strike!" 

All the attacks flew towards Tieramon and were absorbed into her aura. Tieramon's light intensified and began to glow with all the colors of the Digidestined's Digimon. "PRISM BEAM!" The multi-colored attack shot out, as big as Tieramon's body, and cut through the air strait towards ArcaDemon.

Seeing the attack coming, ArcaDemon brought his hands up to block the blast. A shield of dark energy formed around his palms and caught the blast in front of his chest. The energy's force slowly pushed ArcaDemon backwards. He braced his feet, which created deep trenches in the ground as the energy pushed him back even farther. "You... you will not defeat me! I am perfection!" 

Kari felt despair rising up inside of her. "It's still not strong enough."

Davis said, "He's still having a hard time blocking it. Keep up the pressure! Everyone, keep focusing on beating ArcaDemon. If we give up, our Digimon will lose power." The Digidestined closed their eyes and focused on their emotions. 

Ken looked at Stingmon. "We can't help out here, but I have an idea. Come with me." Stingmon nodded and picked Ken up. Ken called to the others, "I'll be back!" He and Stingmon flew off. 

********

How dare they? How dare these imperfect, insignificant bugs challenge him? ArcaDemon strained against the force of the intensified beam, ashamed that he should have to struggle against such a pathetic group of opponents. _I am perfection! I am the ultimate end of digivolution. How can they even think of challenging me_? And yet their attack was almost more than he could bear. Almost. 

There had to be a reason for why he was having such difficulty resisting the attack. It had to be the fault of his creator, Demon. This had to have been a flaw in his design. ArcaDemon accessed the memories he had absorbed when he devoured Demon. And it was there that he found his answer. The children of hope and light had escaped from their containment before they could give all their power to him. _My defenses are incomplete! I am not invulnerable as I should be. _

Still, all was not lost. He could resist their beam until these Digidestined grew weary and gave up. Then, he would devour the children of hope and light and complete his defenses. After that, no one would be able to stand in his way. All he had to do was hold out until the Digidestined lost their will to battle.

Suddenly, shouts of "V-Nova Blast" came from behind. ArcaDemon risked a glance over his shoulder to see a storm of blue flames hurling towards him. ArcaDemon winced and faltered as explosions raked across his backside. With all his defenses focused towards the Digidestined, ArcaDemon could not afford to block the lesser attacks. Pain danced across his whole body as blast after blast of white-hot fire struck him. His muscles trembled and his armor cracked, but he did not lose his focus. His body was strong; he would endure everything. 

Then he sensed two very strong forces coming up behind him. They were nowhere near as strong as a crystal Digimon, but there were powerful in their own right. The Digimon known as Stingmon and AeroVeedramon were flying towards him on what seemed to be a collision course. They both weaved between the V-Nova Blasts that continued to plague ArcaDemon. Their purpose became all too clear. _NO! Stay away!_ ArcaDemon's mind froze in terror as he realized that we was powerless to stop them. If he dropped his defenses for even a moment, the blast from the other crystal Digimon would kill him.

The final blow came. "Spiking Finish!" Stingmon dove in with his energy stinger extended.

"Magnum Crasher!" The AeroVeedramon's body became encased in energy as he flew down as fast as a bullet. 

Both attacks struck ArcaDemon at the base of his neck. Pain seared through his mind and the world vanished in red agony. ArcaDemon's defenses weakened for only a moment, but that was enough. The blast of energy from the Digidestined's crystal Digimon broke through is barrier and collided with ArcaDemon's waist. The world became lost in a bright white light.

And then everything went numb. ArcaDemon could feel himself falling from a very high place. His eyes came into focus and he saw a pair of legs, his legs, standing upside down. Confusion filled his mind as he tried to understand what was happening. The answer was terrifyingly simple. He thought, _I have been bisected_, and then he thought no more. 

********

The instant ArcaDemon's two halves dissolved into scattered data, the Digidestined let out a great whoop of joy. The "perfect Digimon" had been defeated.

Kari exclaimed, "We did it! We shave the Digital World!"

Davis nodded, "Now that's what I call teamwork!"

Yolei was less ecstatic. "Still, we had to kill a Digimon…"

Cody nodded, "But it was the right thing to do, even if we didn't like it."

Diamon, Rocmon, Creeyamon, Shinmon, and Tieramon all began to glow bright white as their bodies began to shrink and revert. When the lights faded, Demiveemon, Poromon, Upamon, Tokomon, and Salamon were standing on the ground. Each of the Digidestined ran over and picked up his or her respective partner. Davis was still wobbly from ArcaDemon draining his strength, but he was quickly recovering.

He chuckled, "Guess you guys used up a lot of energy with that last shot."

Demiveemon sighed, "You ain't kiddin'." 

Upamon said, "I'm so hungry. Can we please eat?"

Cody smiled, "Good to know your hunger hasn't been effected."

"Hey, guys!" Ken and Wormmon came running up with Vee close behind.

Kari waved, "Ken, we were wondering what happened to you. You left in the middle of the fight."

Ken shook his head, "I didn't leave; I just changed tactics. I realized that ArcaDemon had focused all his power in front of himself, so I regrouped the Veedramon clan to launch an attack from behind and weakened his defenses."

Vee said, "Stingmon and I focused all our power into one attack and struck ArcaDemon from behind while my clan provided cover fire. The hard part was getting out of the blast range when your attack pierced ArcaDemon's defenses. We nearly didn't make it."

TK said, "Good plan." 

Ken smiled, "Thank you." His smile wavered, "But, we might not have had such a close call if I could get Wormmon to crystal digivolve."

Cody said, "There's no guarantee that we would have won if Wormmon had become a crystal Digimon. ArcaDemon was still holding his own against our attack. If you and Stingmon hadn't been here to attack from behind, we might not have won."

Ken nodded, "Thanks, Cody." 

A startled gasp came from the group. "He said Cody's name!!!"

Davis smiled, "That's because we're all friends now. Right, Ken?"

Ken said, "Yes. We're friends."

Kari looked around the ruined landscape. What had once been the Dark Forest was now blackened ground with craters darting the landscape. Still, it was a small price to pay to keep the entire Digital World from suffering a similar fate. "I guess there's nothing else for us to do here. We should get home. Tai and Matt will want to hear about what happened."

Yolei nodded, "They'll probably be hopping mad when they find out we left them behind. We promised we'd take them with us when we went to rescue TK and Gatomon."

TK said, "I'm sure they'll forgive easily, _this_ time. Let's get home."

"Wait." Davis stopped the group. "There's…. there's something else we need to do before we go home." He looked at Vee. "Vee, I know it's a lot to ask, but you could give us a lift to Primary Village?"

Kari frowned, "Primary Village?"

Vee said, "It's not a problem at all. In fact, I was going to go there anyway. We lost several Veedramon to ArcaDemon's attack, and many more were wounded. It is my duty as the leader of the clan to go to Primary Village and retrieve the digieggs of my brethren." 

Davis looked at the others, "Let's get going."

Kari asked, "Davis, what's this all about?"

Davis replied, "You'll see. Just come with me, please."

Kari nodded, "Okay, let's go." 

********

Primary Village had improved since the last time Kari had seen it. The small scars resulting from the attack of the anti-Digidestined faction were almost repaired, and the village itself looked as cheerful as ever. Many of the rioting Digimon responsible for Primary Village's damage had returned to repair their mistakes. Even now Kari could see them filling in holes from when Control Spires has sprung up. They still kept their eyes averted as if they still felt shame over what they had done.

When Kari voiced her concern over this, Ken commented, "They'll eventually accept their mistakes and move on. It'll just take some time."

Vee glided down and landed without jarring a single passenger on his back. The Digidestined slid down and walked towards the village. Davis was unusually quiet and looked a little tense.

"Davis?" Kari asked, "What is going on?"

Davis sighed, "I'm not sure I should have pushed for us to come here, but I guess I can't turn back now." He looked Kari strait in the eyes. "Kari, I didn't ask Ken, Yolei, and Cody to come to the Digital World earlier to scout around for Demon's base. I asked them to go to Primary Village to find a digiegg."

Kari frowned, "Whose digiegg?"

Davis replied, "Greymon's. You were so sad over what had happened that I hoped we could find Greymon's digiegg so you two could talk. I was sure that Greymon or whatever baby form he has would clear things up and you'd feel better." 

Kari smiled, "That's very kind of you, Davis."

Yolei asked, "Do you want to give it a try? Harpymon attacked us before we could ever get to the village."

Kari nodded, "Yes. I want to try and see my old friend again." She took lead of the group as they walked into Primary Village.

"Hi!" Elecmon ran up to greet them. "Good to see you guys again! What's new?"

TK sighed, "Don't get us started."

Kari giggled, then said, "Elecmon, did you receive a digiegg for a Botamon recently?"

Elecmon frowned, "I receive tons of digieggs each day. I'm sorry, but I can't help you find one specific egg."

Kari's shoulders slumped as she felt defeat welling inside of her. _Maybe I'll never see Greymon again…_She shook her head. She wouldn't give up that easily. If there was anything the last two days had taught her, it was that giving up was never a solution. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the memory of meeting Koromon in Highton View Terrace, and how he had digivolved all the way to Greymon in order to save Kari and Tai from Parrotmon. _Greymon, where are you?_

Kari felt a burst of warmth on her chest. She opened her eyes and found that she was glowing again.

"Kari?" Davis sounded concerned and took a step towards her. This was the first time he or any of the new Digidestined had seen her powers. TK placed a hand on Davis' shoulder and gently held him back. A shake of the head told Davis that this was nothing to be worried about. 

Kari looked among all the digieggs strewn about the landscape. There was so many it seemed as Greymon's egg would be lost in the sea of unborn Digimon. But then Kari spotted one egg that seemed to have a different feel about it. Even though it looked just like any of the other eggs surrounding it, this digiegg brought about a feeling of peace and warmth inside of Kari. _That's the one_. The light faded from her body. 

Kari ran over to the digiegg, careful not to step on any others as she did so, and knelt down before it. She reached out with her hands and caressed the smooth surface of the egg. The digiegg began to glow bright white and then vanished in a small poof of smoke. Kari jumped back slightly as the smoke settled. She'd never gotten used to that. 

After the smoke cleared, Kari could see a small pudgy black ball with two tiny ears and two very large yellow eyes. A cradle sprung up around the baby Digimon, Botamon.

"Bo bo?" The Botamon looked up at Kari with what she thought was recognition. 

Kari could feel tears welling in her eyes, and her lips were trembling. She forced the words out of her mouth. "H-hi… I'm not sure if you remember me, but we've met before. In fact, I consider you to be one of my best friends. But… I made a mistake, a horrible mistake that you ended up paying for…"

"Bo?" The little Digimon didn't seem to fully register Kari's story.

Kari choked back a small sob. "I can never make up for the mistake I made or the suffering I caused you; and I wouldn't blame you if you hated me for what I've done, but I want you to know that I'm sorry. I never meant to harm you."

"BO!" The Botamon jumped forward and somehow clung to Kari's face to deliver a big wet kiss.

Davis, of course, was the first to react. "Hey, YOU!" He ran to Kari's side. "Stop kissing Kari!!!"

"Bo!" Botamon released its grip on Kari and firmly attached itself to Davis' face.

Kari laughed despite the tears coming down her face. "He thinks you're Tai!"

"Mmmrphh! Mrrrrrr!!" Davis sounded like he'd be smothered under Botamon's body. Finally, the newborn jumped off Davis' face and went back into Kari's arms. Davis gasped for air. "I didn't know newborns had such lousy breath."

Yolei smirked, "Look whose talking Mr. 'Nova Blast breath.'" Davis scowled.

Kari nuzzled the little Digimon against her cheek. "I'm so glad you've forgiven me. Thank you." 

"Booouu." Botamon cooed. 

Kari stepped over to Davis. "I want to thank you too, Davis. I'm not sure I would have made it through this if it hadn't been for you." While holding Botamon with one hand, she reached up around her neck and lifted off the whistle that she had given to Gatomon four years earlier. "Davis, since you gave your goggles back to Tai and the Digivolution Crystal's been destroyed, I want you to have this as a way of thanking you for helping me and rescuing Gatomon."

Davis' face brightened. "Really?" He took the whistle and placed it around his neck. "How's it look?"

Kari giggled, "Very nice."

TK smirked, "You'll have a real fun time at school when the other guys see you where a whistle on a pink string."

Davis waved a hand. "Aw, who cares what they think?" Davis wouldn't have looked prouder if he'd won the Nobel Prize.

Vee came walking up to the Digidestined with several digieggs cradled in his arms. Cody said, "Vee, did you find your friends?"  
Vee nodded, "Indeed I have. I located them through their scent. Elecmon, with your permission I would like to take there digieggs back to the Rock Maze where they can be raised by my clan."

Elecmon nodded, "Sure. That's a few less mouths for me to feed around here." 

Vee looked at the Digidestined. "I must return to my clan as soon as possible, but I can drop all of you off at the nearest portal to the real world."

Yolei checked her watch. "We should be getting back. We're already in enough trouble for skipping a whole day of school."

Davis smiled, "Not a problem. I faked a call from my Dad to the school saying that we were all out sick."

Ken looked at him dubiously, "And you expect the school to believe such a story?"

Davis shrugged, "Sure, it's worked before." Everyone else sighed.

Kari handed Botamon to Elecmon. "I'll see you again soon."

"Bo Bo!!" Botamon bounced up and down excitedly as the Digidestined climbed onto Vee's back. With one flap of his might wings, Vee took the air and soared above Primary Village. 

As Kari watched Primary Village shrink away in the distance, she felt a deep sense of peace inside of her. She had found Gatomon and Greymon/Botamon had forgiven her for her mistakes. Kari felt that she had become stronger through her ordeal and she felt closer to all of the Digidestined. Despite their doubts and shortcomings, the Digidestined had banded together and mastered the art of crystal digivolving. Even Ken had the potential to have Wormmon crystal digivolve if he willed it, but there wasn't a need for that now. Demon and ArcaDemon were defeated, and Kari felt confident that the Digidestined would be able to handle any threats that arose in the future. 

Many people and Digimon had been sacrificed for this victory, however. Davis' friend Blossomon and Gennai's friend Lazio were gone, and Kari would always think of SkullMammothmon, GrandKuwagamon, and Avatar as unwitting victims of Demon's deception. Even Demon had suffered for his evil ways. 

Despite these losses, Kari knew that the Digidestined would fight as hard as they could to save others from a similar fate. She had come to realize how much she cared about her friends, and she would fight with all her strength to protect everyone. Leaning back with Salamon in her arms, Kari enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her hair as Vee flew on towards the horizon.

The End 

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Author's Note: Woo-hoo! I'm DONE! I finished the Crystal Digimon Saga and it feels good. I've enjoyed writing this series that took me all the way through 02, but it's time to move on. I know a lot of people would like to see Ken get a crystal Digimon, but I had never planned to write a Ken story arc. I conceived this saga back when Ken was still the Digimon Emperor, so I didn't fully understand his real personality all that well. 

Besides, I've got so many other stories bouncing around in my mind that I can't stay fixed to the CDS much longer. I began to lose interest in the story and when that happens the plot suffers. I want to wipe the slate clean and move on. I have many more stories in mind, and I hope that some of them will be as good as "Walkabout," which I still consider to be my best work. 

By the way, ArcaDemon's crystal form is a modified version of his Ultimate, which can be seen in the V-Tamers Manga. Just go to Megchan's Digimon Messageboard and look around for the image. Thanks for reading my story and reviewing. I'll be back with a whole new story line soon.


End file.
